Very large majority votes and relatively calm exchanges, but without serious debate on the challenges and disagreements facing the CGT. Very general guidelines without a real roadmap. Initial assessment. --- With an activity report approved by 80%, resolutions adopted by around 75% of the mandates, and a smooth election of the confederation's leadership, the 54th congress reinforced the leadership duo of Sophie Binet and Laurent Brun. The control of speeches by the congress bureau, instead of the usual (and sometimes unconventional) open mic, allowed for a filtering process that gave a platform to caricatured virulence-particularly from those close to the Union for Communist Reconstruction (URC)-but not to the real issues.
Between the International Trade Union Confederation's (ITUC) announcement condemning the Cuban blockade and Sophie Binet's invitation to the AFL-CIO congress[1], a major first, the leadership is boasting of its influence in international trade unionism. As a result, the neo-Stalinists opposed to the ITUC have strangely remained silent throughout the week, even as they hold numerous problematic public meetings in the departments[2].
On the front of trade union unification, the Common House[3]initiative has been approved without debate, but nothing is really progressing. And there is no clear position on how the agenda negotiated within the inter-union framework should be reconciled with the independent action of the CGT.
There is no clear choice between company unions and industry unions[4], only a vague right for isolated local unions to experiment with their own. "Confused" because a local industry union is only viable if it is based on organized businesses in the same sector. "Confused" because the (narrow) rejection of the proposal to create a mediation commission failed to resolve the obstacles to the creation of these unions when they were required to have dual federal and territorial affiliation. Disputes will therefore continue to paralyze union activity or be settled in court.
The protocol against sexist and sexual violence was incorporated into the bylaws. However, this vote was largely symbolic since it was already in effect and, more importantly, it did not generate any serious debate on its various weaknesses. In particular, the lack of resources prevents the rapid processing of reports. Finally, a word on the importance of local unions (UL) and departmental unions (UD), which were discussed at length during the congress, but without any major decisions other than pressure on local unions to allocate more resources. While it is the federations that actually possess the financial resources and union staff, this imbalance weighs on the proper democratic functioning of the National Confederal Committee-the sovereign body between two confederal congresses, composed of one representative from each federation and each departmental union. This imbalance and its impact will be the subject of a future article.
Jean-Yves (UCL Limousin)
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[1]Main union group in the United States.
[2]Co-organized by the URC, the chemical federation, and departmental unions affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions.
[3]See also "Uniting to Fight Better," Alternative libertaire no. 359, April 2025. https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Syndicalisme-Unifier-pour-mieux-lutter
[4]See also "The Stakes of the 54th CGT Congress," Alternative libertaire no. 370, April 2026. https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Congres-syndical-Les-enjeux-du-54e-congres-de-la-CGT
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?54e-congres-de-la-CGT-Rien-n-est-regle
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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