The next CGT congress will take place in Tours during the first week of June. It is expected to be much calmer than the previous congress. The reports and policy guidelines submitted to the unions and delegates will likely be widely adopted. The leadership duo of Sophie Binet and Laurent Brun should be re-elected without much difficulty. Debates may arise with the post-Stalinist wing (regarding the World Federation of Trade Unions, WFTU) and some battles may erupt over minor amendments. The balance of power between the federation and departmental unions in the composition of the union's decision-making and executive bodies will remain to be deciphered.
The activity reports and financial statements prevent excessive self-satisfaction and offer a clear-eyed look at the CGT's weaknesses. These include a weak presence, particularly in SMEs, which has resulted in the inability to launch a general strike indefinitely in 2023; Difficulties in enforcing the statutory 1% membership fee; only 25% of elected members of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) trained internally by the CGT; difficulties in retaining new members due to a lack of suitable structures for their integration.
The failure to get each union to hold its congress between the two confederation congresses speaks volumes about the absence of democratic life. It also reveals the state of company unions, whose reality is often equivalent to that of a single, isolated member. The proposal to move towards territorial professional unions for isolated members marks progress, but limited to the role of a "nursery" for future company unions, we are still far from the goal[1].
One year before the next presidential elections, this Congress will have particular significance in the coming months.
Wikimedia/Wyslijp16
Ecological and Social Alliance
On a more political level, the recurring use of the term "environmental" in the subheadings of documents cannot mask a very weak record on ecological issues. By leaving "Never Again - Ecological and Social Alliance (AES)," the CGT claimed to be able to do environmental work without the expertise of environmental organizations. Conversely, without the CGT's strength, the AES is hardly viable.
While several departmental unions are still involved, the confederation's return to this Alliance may be one of the debates at the congress... if the unions raise the question. Amendments can be submitted until May 6.
On the Unification of Trade Unionism
Following the same logic of withdrawal, the proposal by the previous leadership of the CGT (Philippe Martinez) to initiate a unification process with Solidaires and the FSU was amended by the 53rd congress to exclude Solidaires from the process. The FSU remains, with whom a process has been launched, with the prospect of a "common home" without unification of structures[2].
This process is positive; concrete progress can be noted: joint training programs, working meetings in local areas and not just at the national level. One might therefore hope that this "common home" is only a first step towards a real unification of militant trade unionism. But the document immediately clarifies: "This is neither a merger nor the creation of a decision-making superstructure." And it defers the (possible) validation of this "common home" to the next congress.
The 54th CGT Congress will take place in Tours from June 1st to 5th, 2026. The "struggle and social transformation" unions, and not just the CGT, are clearly not up to the challenges of our time. Between 1934 and 1936, the CGT and the CGTU put aside their differences in the face of the fascist threat. Their successful reunification made the 1936 strikes possible. The conservatism of the local unions must be challenged. Maintaining this fragmentation of the organized proletariat in the current situation is unacceptable.
Double duty
Yet, mobilization against the far right is clearly reaffirmed as a priority, with the reminder of the expulsion of any CGT official who supports fascist policies. But this mobilization is reduced to training union members and propaganda. The rest of the initiative is delegated to the political parties during elections. As the preparatory document reminds us, reaffirming independence from these parties does not equate to neutrality. Very well. And, in this urgent situation, calling on workers to vote to eliminate the danger of a far-right victory is essential to the unity of our social movement.
But essentially, the CGT sees itself only as a tool for exerting pressure on the political parties to which it delegates the task of social transformation-a rather vague and lackluster term, to say the least. We are therefore very far from the revolutionary ambitions of the Charter of Amiens! The true dual task of the union is, in fact, the defense of everyday interests and, at the same time, the preparation for the expropriating general strike. There is still a long way to go to put the CGT back on the path to revolution. But for the proletariat, what other path is there?
Revolutionary union members of the CGT
In no particular order
Due to space constraints, let's mention a few more debates. The unionization of students, reserved for student-workers who already have... employee unions? The two-state solution in Palestine when it seems increasingly unlikely? The demand for a sovereign AI that blocks any debate on AI itself? A union training program that needs to be "readjusted," but without specifying in what way? A priority given to unionizing engineers, managers, technicians, and supervisors (ICTAM) in CAC 40 companies for disruptive strikes, while simultaneously explaining that the CAC 40 thrives on outsourcing productive activity? And one regret: out of 82 candidates for the CEC (Central Executive Committee), only 25 are blue-collar or white-collar workers.
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[1]See also "Structuring the CGT: The Example of the Parisian General Book Union," Alternative libertaire no. 369, March 2026.
[2]See also "Union Unification: The Foundations of the Common Home," Alternative libertaire no. 356, January 2025.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Congres-syndical-Les-enjeux-du-54e-congres-de-la-CGT
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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