The magnificent movement of the French
workers is an inspiration to the workers of all Europe. It shows the
real face of the French working class. Yesterday strikers were
continuing their action for a second day running, following an
impressive day of action on Tuesday.
Paris. Photo: Aleksander GlogowskiTuesday
saw the biggest strikes and demonstrations so far in the campaign of
the French unions seek to build pressure on the government over its
pension reform plans, and some unions say they will continue their
stoppages indefinitely. Rail services are still restricted, causing
congestion and delays.
Strikes forced the closure of all six of the Total oil group’s
refineries, threatening fuel shortages. Eleven out of the 12 refineries
in France have now been affected by strike action. In the oil terminal
port of Fos-Lavera near Marseilles, the strike is now in its eighteenth
day, leaving oil tankers stranded at sea unable to unload their cargoes.
fewer than half of local and inter-city trains were running, according
to the SNCF national rail company. The Eiffel Tower was closed to
tourists on Tuesday after workers walked out. Airports have also been
seriously affected by strike action as have hundreds of schools, with
general assemblies being held in several universities to decide on what
action they should take.
Although the strikes are overwhelmingly in the public sector; there
has been an echo in the private sector. The main weakness of the
movement is in the private sector, where it is more difficult to get
workers to risk the sack in times of high unemployment.
According to the unions 3.5million people took to the streets all
over France in the general strike on Tuesday. Here in Toulouse,
according to the CGT, 145,000 people participated in the biggest
demonstration for years, while in Paris the figure was 350,000.
Communist Party and CGT member Hubert Prévaud underlined the massive
scale of the demonstration that took place in Toulouse – one of the
biggest in the history of the city – and also the fighting spirit of the
demonstrators:
“One might have thought that after so many days of action, the
workers would have become tired. But, on the contrary, they seem to be
keener than ever. The general mood is one of deep anger. The workers say
that the movement must now be taken onto a higher plane in order to
defeat the government.”
Even in small towns there have been sizeable demonstrations. In the
small town of Niort in the Department of Deux-Sèvres, 15,000 took to the
streets, out of a total population of 60,000. This means that one
quarter of the population was on the demonstration.
The general picture is one of profound social ferment and a rising
tide of radicalisation which it will not be easy to quell. The mood on
the demonstrations was one of confidence; cheerful, happy that the
workers were on the streets, united and fighting back. However, there is
an increasingly critical attitude towards the leadership. One worker in
Niort told me:
“The demonstration was marvellous, but I cannot understand why there
was no meeting at the end, no speeches of the leaders, no discussion
about where we go from here. The people just dispersed and went home and
the whole thing seemed to just fizzle out.”
Communist Party activist Joseph Coutant spoke to me about the mood of the demonstrators in Niort:
“The people were very happy. But under the surface there is a mood of
anger. It has not yet reached boiling point, but it is there: a kind of
simmering, contained anger that can explode at any time.”
Public sympathy
was the fourth day of action since the beginning of September and each
day of action has shown an increased participation compared to the
previous one, rising from 2 million to 3.5 million, and a new day of
action is being called for Saturday 16th.
The immediate issue of the protests is President Nicolas Sarkozy’s
plans to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and to delay a
full state pension from 65 to 67. The lower house of parliament has
approved the reforms, which are now working their way through the
Senate.
government says the current pension arrangements are not sustainable
and need to be reformed. Yesterday Sarkozy told a meeting of MPs that he
would “go no further” in terms of concessions, according to the AFP
news agency.
On the Paris trains, the press reports that there was frustration
among commuters but sympathy for the strikers. “It’s a bit annoying for
those who work. But I completely understand their point,” Isma Belmiloud
told Reuters. Eric Floresse said his commute had been disrupted, but
for a good cause. “I think the reform is unjust, there are already lots
of older people who are unemployed.”
These comments reported in the press are a faithful reflection of
French public opinion. A whole series of opinion polls have consistently
shown that an astonishing 70 percent of the public are in favour of the
actions called the unions.
That
means that all the living forces of the French nation are behind the
workers. Even more significant is the fact that no fewer than 60 percent
are in favour of escalating the protests:
A number of unions – particularly in the transport sector – say their
strikes are open-ended, and will hold daily ballots on whether to
extend their action for another 24 hours.
The mood of growing radicalisation is evident. In the meetings where I
have spoken in the last few days, organized by La Riposte, the organ of
the Marxist network in the Communist Party, one could see an enormous
interest in the ideas of revolutionary Marxism, not only among the youth
but also on the part of many older militants who are tired of the timid
reformism of the leadership and who are seeking the genuine ideas of
Communism.
Revolutionary traditions
Sarkozy
has seriously miscalculated in picking a fight with the unions. He has
forgotten that France is the land of revolution: the land of 1789-93, of
1848, of the Paris Commune, the general strike of 1936 and May 1968.
The more far-sighted representatives of the French ruling class can
see the danger: Dominique de Villepin, a former prime minister, has
warned that mass unemployment, falling living standards and the constant
provocations of the Sarkozy government could provoke a new social
revolution.
There is no doubt that the conditions are being prepared for a social
explosion in France in the coming period. The French bourgeoisie cannot
afford to permit the continuation of the concessions that were forced
from them in the past. But the French workers are not prepared to remain
with their arms folded while the social conquests of the last fifty
years are destroyed.
The stage is therefore set for a period of intense class struggle in
France. The French ruling class knows it will have a serious fight on
its hands!
