In our April issue we presented the functioning of the Solidaires
congress and the main issues of the 9th congress. After the congress,what conclusions can be drawn and what perspectives can be put forward
for those who wish to build a union tool for mass struggle? ---- The
Solidaires congress which was held in Labège, near Toulouse, from April
22 to 26, had in particular a strong stake around the CGT-Solidaires-FSU
union recomposition. If the progress at the end of the congress, on this
issue as on others, can be considered minimal, the observation that the
Solidaires union remains united around its unique method of working
towards consensus is clear and reassuring.
The most anticipated part of this congress was obviously the debates
around union recomposition, materialized with the CGT-FSU rapprochement
process. They seemed poorly off to a good start, with an initial
ambiguous draft resulting from a consensus in the writing group and what
had been deemed acceptable by the structures leaving room for
interpretation, and with opposition from several structures including
the SUD Rail federation. warning several months previously that
announcing a recomposition with the CGT federation of railway workers
was impossible.
Developments in the union field
However, once the clarifications have been made (clearly distinguishing
broad union unity, for example during the movement against pension
reform, and the recomposition within the "struggle" bloc; there is no
question of a merger imposed from above at short term, especially since
the CGT does not want this; there is no question of short-circuiting
work at the base, as close as possible to the field and various union
realities, or of making recomposition the alpha and omega of the future
of Solidaires), the work in committee made it possible to achieve a
consensual reformulation of almost the entire part. Quite spectacularly,
no amendment on this subject was ultimately put to the vote, no veto
deployed, and the resolution as a whole was able to be adopted almost
unanimously.
The price to pay - there is one from the point of view of the trade
unionists of which we are part, wishing for a resolute commitment to a
process of rapprochement - is a less expensive final formulation. We no
longer talk about "union recomposition" but "evolution of the union
field", we no longer talk about the CGT-FSU process, we no longer name a
privileged partner, we no longer launch working groups on the issue.
Concretely, structures that wish to work on the issue can do so, without
involving or involving others. No "taboo", no progress.
The 9th congress of the Solidaires Trade Union was broadcast live, the
rebroadcast of the congress is available on their YouTube channel.
A conference with multiple challenges
This discussion was part of a broader debate on the development of the
union, raising for example the question of dual unionization or
subcontracting. Despite several calls to seriously debate these
questions, particularly in the face of a decline in the number of
memberships, the incantatory could not be overcome and the decided
avenues of work remain very meager.
The possibility that the pair of spokespersons could be made up of two
women was validated through a change in the statutes (requiring
unanimity, therefore far from being acquired a priori). This allowed
Julie Ferrua to succeed Simon Duteil, still with Murielle Guilbert. A
positive feminist signal. The term Islamophobia, and the analysis it
underlies, makes its official entry into the corpus of the union,
already used by certain structures. The reluctance did not go as far as
the veto and the vote was carried by an overwhelming majority.
On prostitution, the Solidaires trade union remains abolitionist,
despite several amendments aimed at reconstructing a common position.
The lack of consensus on this issue is now evident; we can doubt whether
the repeated invitations to invest in the Women's Commission are enough
to resolve the issue. The challenges to the operation of consensus with
the right of veto brought by certain structures, such as the SUD Santé
Sociaux federation which does so at each congress, have not met with
sufficient support either.
The continued impossibility of working at a single training center or a
greater uniqueness of names indicate that Solidaires prefers to remain,
"after 25 years of common life", a heterogeneous grouping than to become
a truly unified structure, even if it means often not implement all
necessary means to bring inter-professional work to life. The
composition of the new national secretariat was validated without
difficulty.
Finally, two ineffective positions still coexist in Solidaires regarding
"social movements". One refuses any link with these social forces, in
the name of the (real!) necessity for trade unionism to intervene
directly on most subjects; the other considers that militant activity,
particularly interprofessional, only occurs through these collectives
and associations, denying the class character of trade unionism which
must intervene in struggles on this basis.
What are the prospects for the future?
Basically, the union is making little progress. In terms of form, the
results are more positive: the desire to work together is clearly
reaffirmed, the method of patiently building consensus continues to
prove its worth in maintaining the cohesion of union structures with
diverse histories. The balance of Solidaires sometimes seems precarious,
as the internal conflicts have been so virulent in recent years, and
certain structures have been able to adopt a caricatured oppositional
posture. One lesson from this conference is that when everyone takes the
time to discuss, disagreements can be overcome. Significant work for the
construction of Solidaires, however, remains necessary at the end of the
congress. Sectarianism is still too present, as are above-ground leftist
postures.
So that the next congress can be an opportunity for a more constructive
debate on union recomposition, in a context of progression of the
extreme right and acceleration of the ecological crisis, the unionists
convinced in Solidaires, libertarian communists or not, must without
delay roll up their sleeves and bring into their structures, from the
grassroots to the national authorities, practices that are truly united,
unitary and democratic, therefore grassroots, mass, interprofessional
and internationalist.
Libertarian communists unionized at Solidaires
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Congres-de-l-Union-Syndicale-Solidaires-Reaffirmer-la-volonte-de-travailler
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