ACTION SOCiAList JUST TEN months after it was elected the government of Jacques Chirac has suffered its second big crisis. Last month it was humiliated by a massive wave of student mobilisations which defeated the proposed attacks on education, the Devaquet Bill. Now the railworkers have taken up the gauntlet, frontally challenging the government's three per cent publi pay ceiling. JON SILBERMAN reports Chirac cancelled January's emergency session of parliament and froze measures such as privatisation of prisons and the new racist nationality rules (which would deprive children of immigrants of their present automatic right of French nationality.
Writing in The Observe on 14 December, Robin Smyth explained: 'Chirac hopes that three quiet the front will act as a firebreak against the resentment of the student demonstrators' But the government's hope for a peaceful new Christmas many train drivers across France celebrated in signal boxes they'd occupied.
Railworkers have huge prestige in Their reputation stems back to War Il where they played a significant role in the resistance struggle. The were rewarded for their ef forts by a pay structure quite abnormal for industrial workers. Like that of civil servants this included a strong service element pay increasing according tac number employed, and promotion based on seniority.
But years of government austerity have cut into the wages of railworkers.
Added to this, they face excessive hours long distance drivers can often expect to do a lov-ou.
fortnight while their stop-over hoste rangements are unsatisfacJong ana unpredictable hours mean that workers in the rail industry have the highest divorce rate in France and railworkers have an average life expectancy of just 58 years.
The movement started when the workers proposed a 35-hour week, increased rest days and holidays, improved stop-over rangements, pay increases restoration of a £30 weekly which they'd lost, number of other demands.
The SNCF the French equivalent to British Rail — responded by offering 2.8 per cent and a complete restructuring of pay including replacement promonot according to seniority with what they call promotion according 'merit'. The workers have said that 'merit' is simply another for favouritism. As rail worker put it • the : Tittle chiefs already decide who What do get tne bonuses you think they'd have don f they'd got their hands or oromoting their ¡avourites?' The determination of the strikers forced the management to back down on its restructuring pro. posals at the end of December. The government • SNCF called on the workers to go back to work in return, which time further negotiations on conditions could continue. But transport minister, Pierre Méhaignemphatically ruled 'there is no possibility of negotiations on pay The railworkers refuser to return to work.
The government is presenting its case as a fight against its version of Thatcher's 'enemy within - In this case, the target is the CGT, French Com Sine munist Party-led federation.
But the strike was by no means initiated by the CGI CRS riot police move in on rail strikers Quoted in The Guardian on 3 January French industria. specialist, Henri Vacquin, commented For the tirst time since the war, a desire for grassroots organisation on a national scale has appeared. The unions are be ing forced to support a pronot the other way round There is pressure for a new type of trade unionism'.
Certainly the • started spontaneously, led by drivers at Paris's Gard du Nord (North Station) and rapidly spread to involve the whole of the northern region — which remains the centre of the now complete ly national strike. Many of workers who initially walked out were not even members. of trade unions in France a significantly smaller proportion of the workforce is unionised than in this country.
The strikers established a strike coordinating committe involving the CGT, the trade union federation aligned to the Socialist the CFDT, the Federation (FGAAC) nonComparisons have been made with the local coordinating bodies that led the student up.
National negotiations organised by representatives of the three federations which represent 82 per cent of railworkers.
There are other parallels with the student struggle notably use of the CRS riot polic - who were responsible fo clubbing student Malik ROSCHIC death -against the railworkers.
Also like the students' mobilisation has been the popularity of the railworkers' struggle Try as they might, the media nave been unable to whip up a serious campaign' of irate travellers against the strikers. The support from industrial workers won by the students when signifi companied tope es ac companied • mass demonstrations has been mirrored in the extension of the strike to other sectors.
This week, workers in the Paris underground, seafarers, workers in the ga and electricity industry wil all be taking strike action in movement against the government. 'Enough is enough' Is a growing new year sentiment in France.
• Messages of support and financial assistance to: Co condine ed Conduite Gard •Nord, 75010 Paris.
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Seafarers take solidarity strike action Following his defeat at the hands of the students,