WORLD WORLDWIDE FRANCE News Journal Update - (en) France, UCL AL #335 - Transport-Logistics, Breaking down the federal partitions between unions (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 On May 4, 2022, the CGT transport federation organized a study day on the

logistics sector, with the presence of other federations. One of the topics
discussed was that of the major challenge posed to trade unionism by this branch
of capital: the organization of employees in their workplaces. ---- It is now
vital for the profits of the capital invested in logistics to establish and
maintain the fragmentation of the status of employees in the same workplace:
several companies, several collective agreements, contracts ranging from CDI to
all the myriad of precarious contracts (temporary work, subcontracting, etc.).
This is a serious obstacle to lasting and massive unionization. ---- But faced
with this, the modes of organization of the unions are changing too little. And
they do not respond to the challenge launched by capital.

One of the problems stems from the multiplicity of union federations, whose
fields of intervention are generally based on collective agreements. Such a union
of the major company or client will not organize employees who depend on a
collective agreement other than its own, if the latter does not fall within the
scope of its own trade union federation, etc.

This is also the case with temporary employees. This inertia, reflecting an
outdated pattern that comes from the period of the "Trente Glorieuses", weakens
us, because it divides us. This penalizing situation weakens, when it does not
quite simply prevent it, the creation of a balance of power, beyond the CGT itself.

But during this study day, an intervention by a representative of the CGT-FAPT
(Federation of Postal Activities and Telecommunications) raised the question of
the modes of trade union organization in the workplace.

A salutary intervention
Here are significant excerpts from the reflections of this activist on this subject:

"Once the findings have been made and the proposals made, the question arises of
our organization, at the CGT, in the face of this social dumping. There are
reflections between Federations but at the level of the confederation, it is
necessary to question the way of organizing the workers. In view of the
atomization of professions, do we continue to work each in our corner[...]?

Several federations work side by side in the same workplace. Let's raise the
issues around the working community to defend the immediate interests of workers.
We must be able to create union sections that go beyond our federal fields.[...]

If we do not unionize an employee because he falls under the Transport or Ports
and Docks collective agreement while we work side by side, the first losers will
be the workers and the first winner will be the capital.»

His proposal is not intended to be the magic potion that could respond to all the
situations encountered. But it is proof that serious reflection is taking place
in certain CGT federations. Will this approach be extended to the entire
confederation? Because it does not only concern the logistics sector.

Michel (UCL Vosges)

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Logistique-Abattre-les-cloisons-federales
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca