French train strikes.
Oct 20 2007 22:30
Well they continued yesterday, with disruption on most of the metro. Suburban trains were mostly cancelled, not sure about intercity.
Today according to the authorities the metro was supposedly close to normal and the suburban trains and everything were running fine. However my flatmate tried to take a train today and they'd all been cancelled for the weekend. There were also alternative routes for the rugby on the website that was claiming that those same routes were at 100% Given that those lines were solid on friday I suspect that despite what they said they were well below 100% capacity today.
On Monday we'll see union sanctioned general meetings on further strike action, the membership will be pushing hard on this one. From what I can guess FO stayed out, they are well concentrated in some places and can cause a lot of disruption, with others joining in with differing levels of union support. The CGT local structure is solid in many places even if the leadership is trying to kill the strike.
Oct 21 2007 00:10
#2
A general meeting is called by workers in a workplace (or university, school etc) and they vote by show of hands. They're quite normal, even in non-unionised workplaces. Meetings are often called spontaneously when any change to conditions or offer is made.
A strike called by an AG (general meeting) is technically a wildcat, but unions usually call official votes if AGs vote for strikes.
In France 10% of workers are unionised. I think unionisation in the rail service (the main strikers) and EDF et al is higher.
Most of the unions call strikes due to pressure from members. One exception is the relatively new SUD union who have gained lots of members with their militant stance in many workplaces. Although once they are the majority union they do tend to sell out their members as much as the rest of the unions. At a shop steward level CGT members are much more militant than the leadership (even if we assume that the leadership is militant)
The unions rolled over and died on the minimum service laws for strikes earlier this year, but in this strike there has been no pretence as running a minimum service.
Oct 21 2007 01:15
#3
Thanks for the info.
In the news article that you posted EDF is mentioned. What is EDF? Public employees?
Also. Do you know anything about the strikes in the other industries, eg car manufacturing? Was it solidarity strikes or did they have their own issues? How many workers?
The TGV-system?
Oct 21 2007 01:32
#4
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Oct 21 2007 01:32
#5
There is a swedish version the report and info now. It will say you nothing but maybe it's a litlle bit fun to see: http://www.motarbetaren.se/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184&Itemid=33
Oct 21 2007 08:23
#6
I don't know about the TGV.
EDF is the state run electricity company, GDF the gas company
basically the government is trying to get at special pension conditions for teachers, rail workers electricity workers and a few others.
GDF workers are also against the propsed merger with the private gas company Suez.
I saw a few groups of car workers, or at least people waking behind car workers' locals banners. Probably a hundred from three factories.
Oct 21 2007 09:49
#7
my local EDF branch was closed yesterday and today.
Oct 21 2007 09:53
#8
fwiw EDF are now a major energy provider in the UK.
Oct 21 2007 12:51
#9
Some informations about the October 18th massive Strike in France in english
http://kaou.phpnet.org/spip.php?article254
CSR
Oct 22 2007 18:33
#10
Today the metro was mostly back to normal, a few lines were not at full capacity but I used four of the 13 and there were no noticeable problems.
My EDF office is open again.
The RER (suburban trains) are still not perfect line line b 1/3 trains running; c 1/2; d 1/2; e 1/3 with line a mostly unaffected although conections from nanterre prefecture have been suspended.
The TER and Corail regional services have been badly affected.
only 2/5 local trains were running from St Lazare station.
the international and TGV wervices were all reported as running fine.
Oct 23 2007 08:50
#11
Everything seems to be back to normal on the metro and buses. The RATP are claiming that the RER is normal although there have been some delays.
The SNCF is currently saying services will be back to normal by the end of the day.
Oct 24 2007 06:01
#12
According to the internet everything is back to normal.
CNT-F put out a communique about a strike on Nov 20th, translation will go up tonight or tomorrow.
Oct 25 2007 21:45
#13
Education strike on the 20th of November, civil servants too.
rail unions meeting on the 31st to decide on a november strike.
If they coincide we're looking at the biggest strike in France for ten years at least. Probably the most impotant, if they can't push back any of Sarkozy's reforms then working class organisation is fucked.
edit: not had time to translate the CNT communique yet. IT doesn't look as if they'll be a student strike the latest communique from Nanterre was really scraping the barrel.
Dec 5 2007 15:53
#14
The railways strike is democratically organised as I know. There are general assemblies where all strikers can speak and vote.
The problem is not democracy but that a part of workers don't want to fight . After 8 days of strike, we were 25% of strikers. This is good.
But CGT union leaders are more and more afraid to fight. They prefered negociate than continue and a majority of strikers have followed their decision.
Will the strike begin one more time at the end of negociation ?
Dec 5 2007 17:38
#15
Since 1993 in France, workers’ pensions have been under attack by the capitalists. At that time, the
amount of time private sector workers were required to work was increased from 37.5 to 40 years in order get retirement benefits at the age of 60. In 1995, the governement tried to attack the benefits of retired railways workers, while at the same time threatening closure of 6,000 kilometers of railways. These two attacks were fought-off by railways workers in a victorious 3-week strike. Twelve years have passed before this new attack on railways workers.
In 2003, the governement changed the pension terms for public sector workers so as to match those of their private sector counterparts. Railways workers struck in solidarity with public sector workers, but the general strike was defeated.
In 2007, the government is attacking the benefits of the last workers with good pensions: train drivers who get retirement benefits at age 50, and others who can get benefits at age 55 (railways SNCF, underground of Paris RATP, electricians EDF, etc.).
The first day of the strike, October 18th, was a great success: 75% participation in SNCF (railways) instead of the usual 45%, 80% of electricians, and 70% in RATP. However, this success was probably due to the call for only a one-day strike. Therefore, lots of managers, chiefs and other shy workers participated when they usually do not.
I work in the railways, where the main union, the CGT, wanted only a 24-hour strike. The second union, SUD wanted to have a strike of unlimited duration. Workers at some establishments where these unions are strong voted to continue the strike this week, but overall the movement is weak.
The railways workers federations decided a unlimited strike begining the 14th of november. The strike ended after 8 - 10 days. At the end of the strike, we were still 25% of strikers. This is a good number for an unlimited strike. But CGT leaders appealed to stop strike and negociate. Perhaps they were afraid to not be able to have enough strikers one more week. Only SUD wanted to continue.
The strike stopped because the majority of strikers voted it. The movement was democratic with general assembly of strikers where anyone can speak and vote. Some signs show that the main union CGT prefered the negociation than strike. The general secretary made a proposition to the governement of separate negociations for railway, underground and electricians 2 hours before the beginning of strike. The union leaders appealed to stop strike after 8 days and made lots of speeches to convince workers. The majority of workers trust their union and followed their advice.
Probably, union leaders are afraid by the Sarkozy governement. This governement is prepared to fight like UK Thatcher governement in 1984 against miners.
The new French President campaigned for election by dividing workers. He stated that public were more privileged than private sector workers. He promised to attack our pensions. The capitalists want to get rid of our retirement rights at 50 and 55, increase all workers’ retirement age. They promised to elevate the required 40 years dues (work contribution) to 41 in 2008 and 42 in 2012.
The media, owned by capitalists and state, campaigns every day to make private workers jealous of public ones. The problem of the union movement is that our members are more concentrated in public sector, and we therefore have great difficulties mobilizing private sector workers.
To sum up, we have three handicaps in this struggle.
- The governement attacks. It has choosen the ground where to fight (Pensions).
- The governement has conditionned all the population to say that railways workers are privileged than other workers. This has to effect. One is divide workers to prevent private sector to go on strike for their own pensions. The second is to put in the head of railways workers : it’s normal to have lower pensions like other workers.
- The main union CGT has more members in public sector than private so it is difficult to fight boss propaganda dividing workers. The bureaucracy is also afraid to fight and prefer negociate.
Will the strike begin one more time at the end of negociation ?
Currently, the only way for unity between private and public sector workers on this issue is to fight for an early retirement age for difficult works. The scientists said that manual workers have 7 years less to live than bosses. The unionisation of private workers has not been a focus of the labor movement in France. CSR militants are involved in territorial union organisations of CGT in order to organise private sector workers. We have recently written a document to train militants to do this job. However, the main obstacle is that the CGT abandoned the industrial unions in 1950 in favor of enterprise unions. As a result, union workers have developed a craft union mentality, and they are hesitant to involve themselves in Local Unions (Bourses du Travail).
CSR members have made some improvements in this area, but there is a lot more to do. For example, I participated in the cleaning union meeting of my town the last week. The union is so poorly organised that workers had no time to speak about the critical pension issue.
Kaou, Railway worker, CSR
Dec 5 2007 17:48
#16
Thanks for the information Kaou.
Dec 6 2007 11:37
#17
yeah thanks Kaou
Hi! My knowledge about france in general and these strikes in particular is not that great. It is very intresting though. Do you know how these general meetings work? Is it meetings for all workers and not just only the union members? And all workers strike but the strikes become legal then the union calls them? You know how big part of the workers who are unionmembers? How does the relation between CGT at local level and the workers on one hand and the leadership on the other work in this strike?