France, Alternative Libertaire AL #241 - A first assessment of the fight (fr, pt)

Nearly two weeks of national strike: it was a long time that the rail had not experienced 
such a massive and sustained conflict. Many, many young workers have spent their "baptism 
of fire". What policy lessons can be drawn from the point of libertarian communist view, 
to guide the rest of our action? ---- For nearly two weeks, the railway and railway 
workers went on strike against the proposed railway law and for the satisfaction of their 
claims, internal to the company. ---- As for social, environmental and also functional 
reasons, it is necessary to unify the public company split in two since 1997 (SNCF and 
RFF), the law organizes a division into three separate companies! ---- The Department is 
in full agreement with the head of the SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, who for years organized the 
destruction of public service station: subcontracting to subsidiaries, into a worldwide 
group of transport and logistics that actively contributes to the privatization of public 
networks in other countries, attacks against the social rights of railway and railway 
workers ...

Department and Department of Public company serve the interests of shareholders private 
companies. Thus, the law decides the repeal of the regulations applicable to work 
railworkers! So without this support from the railway regulations as union federations 
will have to negotiate the future national collective agreement for the future rail 
industry. The goal is obviously to apply to all employee-es rail (SNCF and private 
companies) conditions tougher labor, the lowest possible rights.

The unitary approach promotes the launch of the action

In January, the federation SUD-Rail Interfederal proposed a national platform, carrier 
including what will be the demands of the strikers throughout the movement:

reintegration of the whole railway system in a single public company that must stop 
destroying as do Pepy and his band;
continued regulation of labor and SNCF status needs to be improved and extended to all 
employee-es the rail industry;
Debt cancellation imposed for years to railway owned enterprises.
Three federations - CGT, UNSA and SUD-Rail - supported the unitary platform and 
credibility to the prospect of a renewable national strike.

The fact that Unsa refuses to call the appropriate time has hardly weighed: the unitary 
dynamic CGT / SUD-Rail, the long-term campaign conducted by many union teams to build a 
rolling motion (SUD-Rail federally but also several unions CGT), the pressure of the 
national demonstration on 22 May, allowed the appeal Interfederal CGT / SUD-Rail as of 
June 10 evening.

The leaderisme night self-organization

Since the strike of winter 1986-1987 , the practice of general meetings of strikers has 
become the norm for all renewable movement SNCF (and not only).

Libertarian communists have greatly contributed to this achievement: at the time, and then 
for this to become the "normal" practice. But like all the others, this battle is never 
definitively won: those who claim to "lead the struggle" instead of the strikers have not 
renounced their elitist practices.

Without questioning the form "AG", and they transform them into small meetings where union 
officials seul.es speak before we vote on their own proposals. This questioning of the 
self-organization of workers in struggle, if it remains majority within the CGT, SUD-Rail 
also key.

However, the dynamics of real AG also brought this strike.

The Left Front dessert fight

The strike also recalled that the Left Front was a useful tool ... to break the social 
struggles. Overvaluing the role of its MPs, he supported the statements of Secretary 
General of the CGT, Thierry Lepaon, which, from the fourth day of the strike, announced 
the probable end of the movement before renewing more heavily at the end of one week.

So heavily that the CGT-Railroaders will is distinguished, including through a joint 
statement with SUD-Rail!

The involvement of many and many young workers in this struggle, the importance but also 
the difficulties of self-organization, coordination of general meetings (which should not 
be confused with handling), the weakness of trade unionism which inter therefore, do not 
respond quickly to the needs of sectors in struggle, the trap of institutions away from 
direct confrontation with the government and employers, the role of users before, during 
and after the strike, the report to non-strikers, the strike-breaking activism CFDT, and 
many other issues still part of the balance sheet to be drawn together.

We will return.

Two lessons learned

A hot, we will highlight a two elements that seem important to all revolutionary syndicalists:

1. It is always possible to build and lead a renewable national strike! It is not nothing 
to remember. But this requires a long preparatory work; the weight of the "struggle 
unionism" in the rail sector contributes a lot.

2. This strike may be a turning point in the CGT / SUD-Rail reports, for the first time 
with public officials CGT questions about the confederal line, Interfederal unit 
maintained in the long term, a critical fact handling Left Front ...

Remains to be seen if this trend continues and especially if it is taken into account by 
activists SUD-Rail, many of which have "grown up" as opposed to unsavory practices, 
including CGT railway was customary.

Christian (AL Transcom)