assemblies
Account of the assemblée générale of staff at Nanterre university 27/11/07
The assemblée générale was attended by a total of around 130 staff, almost 30 of whom addressed the meeting. A student representative was also present.
Results
The meeting eventually voted on the following proposals:
For the meeting to go to the President's office and deliver a statement condemning the intervention of police on campus and the LRU law. Voted for unanimously
For the word abrogation (annulment) to be replaced with suspension (with regard to the LRU law). 7 for, 1 abstention, 3 non-votes and the rest against.
France: university strikes and occupations against the LRU continue
.jpg "Nanterre university blockade")
Students across France have been voting on the next step in the ongoing struggle against the so-called reforms of the LRU law.
On Monday the government announced a 50% increase in university budgets over the next five years and also vowed to spend 11M on student housing.
France: Rail workers end strikes
.jpg "Strikers demonstrate against Sarkozy's 'reforms'")
After nine days of strike action rail workers finally ended their strike, although they did not win their demands the strike still had many positive aspects.
There is a certain bitterness amongst rail workers, with other strikers abandoning solidarity actions and their own unions selling them out. However what must be noted is that the strike itself was a victory for the rank and file.
France: transport strikes enter second week
.jpg)
The transport strikes that have crippled France enter their second week today with negotiations scheduled for tomorrow.
The number of strikers seems to have stabilised at a relatively low figure of around 20% for the RATP (Paris transport) and 25% for the SNCF (rail), however this number does not reflect the effect upon services. General assemblies of rail workers cotinue to vote to continue strike action by massive majorities even thogh the number of strikers is lower.
France: Schoolchildren join student and teacher strikes
Across the country secondary school students are voting to join strikes in support of university students and the wider struggle.
Tomorrow many of France's teachers will go on strike as part of a wider civil service action. Some universities have seen staff vote on further solidarity action with students.
France: Student strikes and blockades to continue
Today will be an important day for the student movement with Police and university authorities ending most occupations before the weekend.
Today will be a return to struggle, or in some cases a beginning. The first blockade of Paris VIII began today at 7am. Many universities will be holding AGs this week to decide whether to continue the movement, which up until now has continued to grow.
France: Transport strikes are still going strong
The strikes, which seemed to be tailing off, appear to be affecting more services as workers renew strike action ahead of negotiations on Wednesday.
The six unions involved in the strike (CGT, FO, CFTC, Unsa, CFE-CGC and SUD after the CFDT withdrawal on Friday) called on workers' assemblies to vote to continue strike action.
France: transport strike holds as CFDT union withdraws
Although the CFDT union advised its members to vote at AGs to return to work from Friday, the strike appears to be at least holding at a similar level.
The CFDT leadership argued that as the strike was visibly weakening each day it was better to return to the negotiating table, the government demanding an end to strikes as a condition of negotiations. The number of official strikers on Friday fell to 23% on the metro and 32% on the SNCF.
Behind the unrest in France, 2007
Jef Costello examines the reasons behind the recent wave of strikes and university occupations in France.
The keyword in current French politics is reform. Both presidential candidates claimed that France needs to modernise to be able to complete on a global level. Surveys showed that most voters identified both Royal and Sarkozy as 'candidats de la rupture' meaning that they represented a break, a break from the traditions of working class militancy and France's revolutionary and socialist past.
France: trains and bus strikes continue
Transport strikes continued across France today, although the number of services running increased.
According to the CGT observance of the strike today (Thursday) was at 46%, 42,8% according to management, figures for yesterday were 61.5%. In Paris observance dropped from 44% yesterday to 27.2%.
The striking unions called for AGs to vote to continue the action on Friday.
