General Strikes in France: Massive Support Signals Renewed Solidarity in France and Europe

Friday, 15 May 2009
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General strikes and mass public demonstrations have broken out across Europe in response to the global financial crisis. In a show of solidarity across traditional dividing lines, people in Europe are taking to the streets to express anger and frustration because their governments are simply not making the right public policies to help people who are losing their jobs.

WHO'S MARCHING?

FRANCE'S 8 LARGEST UNION FEDERATIONS

Public sector workers:

  • Teachers
  • Education staff
  • University staff
  • Doctors
  • Hospital workers
  • Nurses
  • National radio workers
  • National television workers
  • Postal workers
  • Magistrates
  • Train drivers
  • Public transport workers
  • Tax inspectors
  • Statisticians

Private sector workers:

  • Supermarket cashiers
  • Bank clerks
  • Auto workers
  • Helicopter pilots
  • Workers from French stock exchange
  • Lawyers
  • Airport staff
  • Ski-lift operators
  • High school students
  • University students
Setting the context - Europe's winter of discontent
It has been a winter of discontent in Europe. Following the collapse of banks in Iceland and sparked by riots in the Greek capital of Athens in December 2008, Europeans from north to south have taken to the streets to protest against their governments' reactions to the global financial crisis.

One of the first countries to feel the direct impact of the global financial crisis was Iceland. Iceland's dramatic financial collapse saw thousands of people in the streets protesting their government's failure to address the problem. "In January 2009, in scenes that resembled Argentina in 2002, tens of thousands continued to demonstrate in Iceland by banging pots and pans for weeks against unemployment and inflation until the government fell."

Greece was the next country to be swept by public demonstrations. However, protests in Greece turned to riots after a clash between young protesters and the police in which a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed by police in December 2008. The outrage over the boy's death catalyzed feelings of anger and discontent. General strikes by schools, hospitals and other public services shut down the country, but the protests also became violent and riots raged across Greece in early December 2008. Greeks were protesting the government's free-market conservative fiscal policies and plans to privatize hospitals and schools.

Greeks have continued to protest and riot into 2009, frustrated by their government's reaction to the global financial crisis, but also discontented and exasperated with systematic corruption across the political spectrum. Unemployment is high and rising, particularly among young people, even those with university and college degrees. According to commentators, "A feeling of unfairness, poor treatment by incompetent authorities and a glass ceiling is widespread among the younger generation."

It is not only Greeks who are angry. Demonstrations are spreading around Europe. In January, there were clashes between police and protesters in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria,and Hungary as workers staged protests. Hundreds of thousands of workers walked out in a national strike in Italy on February 12th, with 700,000 people marching through the streets of Rome. "The demonstrators were mobilized by the metalworkers union and public sector workers against the government plans to increase the retirement age. This was after a general strike against the government in December."

A national demonstration of an estimated 120,000 workers and their families took place on February 21 in Dublin, Ireland. Led by the striking Waterford workers, and under the impact of mounting mass unemployment and budget cuts affecting pensions, services and benefits, the demonstrators demanded that ordinary people "should not pay the price for these greedy bastards." The Times (UK) newspaper described the demonstration as "a swollen river of anger."

 

General strikes and mass public demonstrations have broken out across Europe in response to the global financial crisis. In a show of solidarity across traditional dividing lines, people in Europe are taking to the streets to express anger and frustration because their governments are simply not making the right public policies to help people who are losing their jobs.

France is an excellent example of this growing discontent in Europe. As Union went to press in late March 2009, public and private-sector workers had walked out in the latest of a series of general strikes to protest against their government’s response to the economic crisis and to right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reform agenda.

The first general strike was held in January and channeled the strikers’ outrage at President Sarkozy’s mishandling of the financial crisis. The second general strike on March 19, 2009 was called because President Sarkozy failed to react to the first, and saw more than two million people marching, with even more walking off the job. These are the first general strikes since Sarkozy came to office in 2007 and in a remarkable show of unity, all leading unions joined forces. Workers reject the government's plan to stimulate the economy by giving handouts to companies. The protesters are demanding that the government reverse its plans to cut public-sector jobs and to instead take action to protect jobs, boost purchasing power by increasing the minimum wage, and by creating new jobs.

The general strikes have struck a chord with French people and are tremendously popular. Over one million people took to the streets in January and more than two million marched on March 19th. Trade unionists marched behind banners with slogans, including "United against the crisis, defend employment, spending power and public services." Polls showed that 70% of the population was in favour of the first general strike and the second strike had even higher public support at almost 80% of the
population.

These levels of popular support are remarkable. Although strikes and public demonstrations are more common in France than here in Canada, these general strikes are unique for two reasons. Firstly, these are popular, public protests which have brought workers from across the public and private sectors together in the streets of Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Rennes and other cities throughout France. Secondly, the millions of marchers are demanding that their elected politicians and, in particular, President Sarkozy, wake up and realize that the economic crisis is affecting all working people in France. These are not sector-specific strikes calling on bureaucrats or politicians to make specific changes - these are people shouting at their government to make real political changes. So, while French trade unionists and citizens have been mobilized regularly in recent years to protest changes to the education system and some public-sector workers have walked out to protest attempts to increase the age of retirement, massive public demonstrations of discontent on this scale have not been seen for the past 40 years. The message from French citizens is clear: it's time for their government to take real action in the face of the global financial crisis.

According to Henri Lourdelle, an advisor to the European Trade Union Confederation and a trade unionist from France, the protests reflect a growing sense of discontent and indignation in France. French workers and citizens feel that their government has completely forgotten them and are outraged that the government has run to the rescue of banks and financial service companies.

"People feel that the President and his government are deaf. People feel that no one is listening and that despite the protests held earlier this year, the every-day worries of the people are not being heard. Everyone is feeling increasingly excluded."

More than three million people have marched in the streets in both of the massive public protests in January and March.

The government, to borrow a phrase that Albertans are familiar with, has proclaimed that it will not blink. President Sarkozy is aggravating the crisis by refusing to answer challenges about layoffs, the rising cost of living, and by discounting completely the general dissatisfaction of the population. The unions have played an important and instrumental role in mobilizing huge numbers of people. So it may come as a surprise to readers to learn that France has less than 50% union membership. Unions negotiate collective agreements across most sectors; however, so many more people are covered by collective agreements, but union membership has been declining. In recent years, French unions have been bogged down in ideological debates and have not been successful in attracting new members in large numbers. This makes the size and success of the public protests in January and March all the more remarkable. Henri Lourdelle commented that, "this is a unique event, because it has been more than 40 years since so many groups of workers have come together to take their worries to the street and demand that the government listens to what they're saying."

This might be a crucial moment for French unions to reconnect with workers and citizens in France whose active participation in trade unionism has been waning over the past decade. Henri Lourdelle pointed out that "for the first time in a very long while, unions are leading the action and mobilizing people beyond their ideological bases or sectors, rather than jumping on someone else's bandwagon."

Despite this potential for a renewed interest in union activism, Lourdelle cautioned that "there is a feeling of profound malaise in France. The unions can organize rallies and marches, but if the government and President Sarkozy continue to ignore this unified voice for change, we don't know whether the population will be able to control their emotions."

This last comment helps to set the context for these wildly popular demonstrations in France which were inspired in part by the protests and riots in Greece at the end of 2008.

The ETUC and the trade unions have long been supporters of a broader idea of the European Union, one that moves beyond a basic economic relationship between the 27 countries. Henri Lourdelle feels that thanks to the sense of solidarity amongst a wide range of different groups, "this is really an example of everyone fighting for everyone, which is what solidarity is all about. We are fighting together, for others and with others."

He feels that the people of France and across Europe are sending an important signal to the European Union and its governing institutions. "In a moment when the governments and institutions are preoccupied with financial and economic issues, the people are rallying to remind their politicians that a sustainable society must be built on inclusion. If the poor, and those who are struggling to make ends meet, are excluded, it is impossible to build a sustainable Europe."

The ETUC is taking a leading role and is organizing pan-European strikes for May 2009. Their aim is to put citizens at the heart of Europe and at the heart of the crisis, and force governments to respond to their people, rather than continue to bail out banks, corporations and financial services. Strikes and rallies in other countries (see sidebar) indicate a similar coming together of groups who have long been either at odds with each other, or simply not fired up enough to mobilize people into public action. There is a clear sense of injustice and frustration in Europe and Europeans are no longer prepared to sit back and wait for their governments.

Are there lessons for Alberta's labour movement in these mass public demonstrations in France and across Europe? It is hard to imagine mobilizing a comparable proportion of the population onto the streets of Edmonton or Calgary, or even Toronto or Vancouver for that matter. It is important to note, however, that countries like Ireland, Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania do not have a tradition of public demonstrations like France and Italy. And, as mentioned above, these general strikes in France are a very different animal than the sectoral protests the country has seen over the past decade. Perhaps the economic crisis is a unifying force, one that can make labour movements in Europe - and in Canada - think about how to re-connect members with the spirit of solidarity.

REFERENCES

Tagged under: Labour Rights Standards and Law strike action
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