France: No to the anti-retirement reform. A key week in the fight

This Thursday 13 of April the 12^a day of strike and national mobilization against the anti-worker pension reform of President Macron and the capitalists. On Friday the 14th, the Constitutional Council delivers its verdict, an institution functional to the government. But the worker and student bases maintain their willingness to fight.

Pablo Vasco

Last 6 of April, in the eleventh day called by the Intersindical that brings together the eight centrals, more than two million people once again took to the streets throughout France to express their deep rejection of the government and its reform. Increasing the retirement age and the years of contributions is a harsh attack on retirement rights and little free time to enjoy something after a lifetime of work. But despite police repression, the demonization of the big media and salary discounts for days of unemployment, the movement is still open. And there are also sectoral strikes, such as the Grenoble Post Office for the transfer of employees to the plant, the logistics Vertbaudet de Lille for salary increase and several other companies.

In the middle of that national wrestling, the meeting days ago between Prime Minister Borne and the leadership of the Intersindical ended in zero: Borne does not cede anything due to the government line and the Intersindical neither due to pressure from the bases. It is that the worker anger, youthful and popular is very large.

to give an example, at the CGT congress, recently, For the first time in the history of that plant, the balance of the management was rejected by a slight majority. After tense lobbying, a new secretary general was elected, Sophie Binet, firmer in tone than its predecessor. About, from the New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), that make up our comrades of the LIS France, claim: “The militants and especially the opposition leaders to what they call the 'reformist line' in the CGT are not all as radical as they want to make us believe... And the voices that propose that the workers themselves should lead their struggles are still very weak and little coordinated. Having said that, whatever their reasons, opponents of the official line are increasingly successful, proof that in their own way they express a feeling present among the most combative activism of the CGT”[1].

Government, more authoritarian

Like all capitalist governments, they try to impose adjustments and fail to defeat the struggles and rebellions of the workers and the popular, there is a global trend towards higher levels of repression and militarism. The government of France is a clear example, with his plan to increase the military budget a 40% in the period 2024-2030: want to assign 413 billion euros to weapons, being that with hardly 13 billion could cover the supposed deficit of the retirement funds! Both, Parliament has just approved an "anti-takeover" law against the homeless who occupy uninhabited homes...

Regarding the repressive measures against strikes and marches, The Minister of the Interior Darmanin orders to intimidate the workers of sectors on strike, accuses anti-government critics of“far-left intellectual terrorism” O"ultra-left" and keep applying sticks, gases, rubber bullets, arbitrary arrests and searches. This state offensive includes threats to disband the environmental group Levantamientos de la Tierra, to the anti-repressive group Defensa Colectiva (Rennes) and even the historic League for the Rights of Man (LDH).

At the same time, these actions and speeches by the French government in favor of repression encourage violent attacks by the extreme right., as it happened in Metz, where a truck rammed into a picket line. Faced with these attacks, a legitimate self-defense response becomes necessary..

student radicalization

last weekend, 8 Y 9 of April, the fifth National Student Coordination met in Nantes (CNE), in which they participated 30 delegations. Among other political currents, In this unitary space, the Youth of the NPA has a prominent role. in your resolution, the CNE affirms: "After the forced decree 49.3 of the government, our demands go far beyond the simple withdrawal of the pension reform. We demand the resignation of Macron and his government, that only represents the interests of a minority of bosses. Universal National Service, ley Darmanin, disregard for climate challenges, RSA, unemployment, Galloping inflation and precariousness... beyond the pension reform!, We reject all that authoritarian and bossy policy!”[2] and summons:

• "On Wednesday 12, participate in the 'dead country' operation seeking to block routes, roundabouts and picketing the companies.
• "Thursday 13, join the strike call of the Intersindical.
• "On Friday 14, demonstrations everywhere to show them that the mobilization will not end on the day of the verdict of the Constitutional Council: we will not be 'wise'!
• “Support regional demonstration initiatives, especially the 15 of April."

Like other expressions of radicalization in the student movement, Secondary schools from more schools join the protests and a new national university federation emerged: the student union (EU). in the EU, that presents itself as more combative and democratic, two sectors have joined: one is the break of 17 of the 60 sections of the traditional UNEF (National Union of Students of France)[3] and the other is The Alternative, a space that gathers another twenty centers and student groups. In his first statement, the new EU pointed out: “Inscribed within the framework of a historical social movement, the reunification of the student environment will allow us to expand the mobilization in the days and weeks to come... We call on the students to mobilize massively in their establishments and in the streets on the occasion of the day of struggle of the 6 called by the Intersindical.

a decisive week

Even considering the logical wear and tear after three months of intense struggle, overall strike rate is down but still strong among refinery workers, electrical and railway. Meanwhile, the government is quite isolated and with internal friction, the polls confirm that their unpopularity is growing and the slogan is heard in the marches“¡Go, Macron!”. The Inter-union, who would like to negotiate with the government, continues calling for separate days of struggle instead of organizing a plan of struggle with continuity until the reform is defeated. A good part of the vanguard is advancing in its experience with that union bureaucracy and also with politicians like the center-leftist Mélenchon or the far-right Le Pen, that - beyond their differences- their axis is not to mobilize but rather to encourage electoral exits like an uncertain referendum.

As the last editorial of the NPA rightly says: "The 14 It is up to the Constitutional Council to give its green light to this law. We must not have any illusions with this institution formed by old retired politicians. for the record, The last project that the Council censured was the proposal to tax very high rents on the 75% under the Hollande government… It is under pressure that the movement manages to impose, over the government and businessmen, that the 'wise men' of the Council may touch up two or three annexed points, just to suggest that the worst could be avoided when the retirement scrapping project is implemented. Y Laurent Berger[4] he plays the game, when advertising on TV that he will not 'question the legitimacy of the Constitutional Council'... But our lives are worth more than the Constitution of the Republic!! He 13 we must be even more numerous than the 6 on strike and demonstration... And the 14 we follow! If Macron and Borne did not understand, and the Council validates its reform already introduced by force of decrees, the anger could go up another step. It will go until they remove it!”[5]

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[1]     https://nouveaupartianticapitaliste.fr/la-direction-sortante-chahutee-et-desavouee-au-53e-congres-de-la-cgt/

[2]     The UNS is a civil-military Universal National Service for young people, volunteer for now. The Darmanin Act is a new anti-immigrant bill. The RSA is an Active Solidarity Subsidy for job seekers, ultra-minimum and increasingly conditioned.

[3]     UNEF was the main university federation in France, closely linked to the bourgeois PS.

[4]     CFDT leader, the trade union center most in favor of class collaboration.

[5]     https://nouveaupartianticapitaliste.fr/determines-jusquau-retrait/