The FO[2], the UNSA[3], the CGC-Post[4], CFDT[5] and the CFTC[6] (who together represent less than 50% of the voters) signed an agreement to reform union rights at the post office. "… The Post Office and the representative unions intend to reform the modalities for the exercise of union rights in the spirit of mutual understanding and respect. By the present agreement they underwrite the right of the representative unions to participate in the social dialogue in their best interest and that of the Post Office."
Executive Summary of the Agreement;
First, the text specifies that " union rights will be accorded to organisations exclusively on the basis of the present agreement (Preamble)." That means that the bosses get together with their unions and decide who will and who will not have union rights. In the old accord all organisations had these rights, even those called "non-representative"; now they are being deprived of the right to express themselves.
Article 1.1 of the new accord " … The criteria for determining representativity at the national and the regional level are those defined by article L.133-2 of the Labour Code; "… having members, independence, dues, experience and seniority, patriotism during the war … " and also " … their recognition is based on results obtained in the elections to Joint Administrative Committees[8] for established officials and to the Joint Consultative Committees[9] for salaried staff at the national and regional level. So it is no longer enough to just be a duly constituted union in full compliance with the Labour Code in order to have union rights at the Post Office. It is a step back in time by several decades! You could exist as an abstract, legal person who has no way of ever taking action as a union!
According to Article 1.2 representative unions will have a monopoly on the right:
The "non-representative" unions are not even mentioned. The Constitution recognizes our right to freely form a union of our choice, but the Post Office begs to disagree. Postal workers find themselves one century in the past, when they were not allowed to strike or to form unions. And all that with the compliance of certain "unions"!
This draft agreement of January 27, 2006 is more than an attack on union rights. It is a declaration of war on the right to strike. The Preamble gives us a vision of the social relations that the Post Office seeks. It is a monolithic concept of one-union unionism, pseudo-co-decision, totally submissive to the Post Office bosses. It is pet-unionism that will not bark when the Post Office is transformed into a capitalist enterprise, accepts sackings[10] and worsening conditions. Post Offices and union bosses will get together to preserve "social peace". That means to avoid strikes at all costs (to the workers).
Thus, " … the right to strike depends on the duty of unions to give warning to the Directors concerned beforehand." Without consulting their members, certain unions have gone further down the road to limiting the right to strike. Another paragraph says " … The right to strike implies the duty to respect persons and their fundamental freedom to work and to come and go as they please." That means that effective picketing will be banned, not to mention sit-down strikes on the job. Some of the yellow union bosses have helped to write up the code that will be used against postal workers, including their own rank and file members. There is an undercurrent of eliminating combat unionism and suppressing the revolt that is beginning. Why have permanent representatives of certain unions agreed to sign this text? The answer is to be found in the text itself.
Article 10.4 deals with the careers of postal workers who have become permanent union representatives. That is well enough, since they have the right to apply for promotion in accordance with the rules. But it gets better; " … being selected for promotion implies the end of the successful candidate's activity as a permanent union representative."
For most postal workers there is a compulsory trial period after promotion that serves to verify their real aptitude, that rule does not apply to permanent representatives. Now, that is what we call positive discrimination. Neither the CGT[11] nor the SUD[12] signed on, but they did not oppose this provision either.
The last paragraph is especially rich; "Those who have worked as permanent union representatives for at least two years may obtain a post higher than the one previously held, pursuant to Decision RG80 [13]of August 16, 2004. No comment.
In order to stop this development, CNT has launched a campaign at all levels possible; unions, civil society, courtrooms, the European Union. We refuse the muzzle that the bosses want to force on us.
We want to form a united front with all unions who refuse to sign up to the agreement. We welcome locals and rank and file members from those unions who have betrayed them by signing or not opposing the agreement.
This confrontation involves all unions because if the agreement goes through unopposed similar conditions will be imposed throughout the European Union.
We will distribute our material far and wide; to unionists, solidarity committees, meetings, petitions, posters, info-material for postal workers and Post Office clients, law suits …
Nothing can keep real unionists from fighting. If we are forced to do so, a century later, we will recommence the strategy of clandestine action. Revolutionary unionism is part of the historical workers' movement, but it is not history. The bosses' wretched little scribblers have not got what it takes to eliminate us, not even with the help of the yellow unions.
Bosses have begun to take down CNT announcement boards in some Post Centres, such as Paris13 and Tours. Please participate massively in our campaign for union freedom at the Post Office. You may order[14] from CNT-PTT-95 BP 56 93602 Baubonne Cedex;
Free Three Month Subscription to
Name: Forename:
Address: City & Post Code;
Profession: Email;
Please send to Fédération CNT-PTT: 36 rue Sanche de Pomiers 33000 Bordeaux
The footnotes give extremely brief explanations for the bits of the French alphabet soup that few Anglophones will understand. For more information, please consult at least the Wikipedia, or even better the websites of the organisations and form your own impression.
[1] CNT; National Labour Confederation; anti-authoritarian, non-dogmatic, grassroots
[2] FO: Workers' Force; a reformist union, got some of its start-up finance from the CIA
[3] UNSA: National Federation of Autonomous Unions; that's what it is
[4] CGC-Post; General Confederation of Managers-Post; that's what it is
[5] CFDT; Democratic Confederation of French Workers; social democratic, abandoned even the pretence of industrial democracy when the Social Party won the elections
[6] CFTC: Confederation of Christian French Workers; Christian-democratic
[7] MEDEF: Movement of French Enterprises; the businessman's association
[8] Commisssions Administratives Paritaires
[9] Commissions Consultatives Paritaires
[10] Firings, in American.
[11] CGT: General Confederation of Workers; the strongest labour federation in France, unfortunately Stalinist, scabbed in May 1968
[12] SUD; Solidarity, Unity, Democracy; group of alternative unions associated with the New Left and Anti-Globalisation Movement
[13] Instruction RG80
[14] Check the website for the availability of the various language versions
[15] In French, of course. A great chance to brush up with living and lively French. So, if you took French in school, don't be shy, subscribe today and start searching for that old dictionary that you know you have somewhere.