General Confederation of Labour (France)
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General Confederation of Labour | |
ETUC | |
Website | www.cgt.fr |
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The General Confederation of Labour (French: Confédération Générale du Travail, CGT[a]) is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.
It is the largest in terms of votes (32.1% at the 2002 professional election, 34.0% in the 2008 election), and second largest in terms of membership numbers.
Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995–96 (it had more than doubled when
According to the historian M. Dreyfus, the direction of the CGT is slowly evolving, since the 1990s, during which it cut all organic links with the
History
1895 to 1947
1895: Creation
The CGT was founded in 1895 in
1895–1914: Anarcho-syndicalism
Up until 1919 the CGT was dominated by
In 1906, the
In 1909, members of the union management and hundreds of CGT members were killed by the French government led by Georges Clemenceau, who called the troops to open fire on the strikers.[citation needed]
World War I: Dissension
Under the leadership of
In 1919,
The hope of October 1917
Following the Russian Revolution, the French labour movement became increasingly divided between revolutionaries who supported the Bolsheviks and strong action at home, and reformists who favoured moderation and re-affiliation to the pre-war Second International. One outcome of this division was the expulsion of the revolutionaries. Following the 1920
Radicals created the Confédération générale du travail unitaire (CGTU), where communists initially cohabited with anarchists and revolutionary trade unionists.
Reconciliation and World War II
In 1934, left-wing parties united to counteract the far-right "ligues".
Two years later, the Popular Front won the 1936 legislative election.
At the same time, the CGT and the CGTU were reunited.
It became increasingly influenced by the French Communist Party.
1945 to 1947 : Division
After the ejection of the Communists from the government and the 1947 General Strike, a further split took place, this time involving the departure of the reformist Right, followed in 1948, when
The FO criticized the Communist influence as being incompatible with the Charte d'Amiens; and they were generally
In order to preserve its unity, the Federation for National Education (Fédération de l'Education nationale or FEN) left the CGT but did not join the FO.
The Communist Benoît Frachon became leader of the CGT.
1947 to 1990s : The domination of the French Communist Party
Alliance and Union of the Left
Although the CGT was dominant in French trade unionism, it was isolated until 1966. At this moment, it chose to coordinate its actions with the
During
In the 1970s, it supported the "Union of Left" (alliance between the
After the defeat of the
The 1980s
The election of Henri Krasucki in 1982, followed by the resignation of the Communist ministers (Charles Fiterman, Marcel Rigout and Jack Ralite) two years later, after the substitution of Laurent Fabius as Prime minister to Pierre Mauroy, led to an initial radicalisation of the confederation.
However, at the end of his term (1982–1992), Krasucki began to distance himself from the PCF.[3] His successor, Louis Viannet, did the same, going as far as resigning from the political bureau of the party.[3] Thus, during the 1990s, under the leadership of Viannet and Bernard Thibault, the CGT cut its organic links with the French Communist Party. It has succeeded in remaining one of the two major French union confederations, while the Communist Party has declined severely.
From the 1995 general strike to today
It was the leading trade-union in the 1995 general strike against Alain Juppé's plan of Welfare State reforms (in particular concerning pensions).
The CGT also protested against Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) minister François Fillon's project of pensions reforms in 2003.
In February 2005, the National Confederate Committee (CCN), the "Parliament" of the trade-union, rejected national secretary Bernard Thibault's support of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE).
Therefore, the CGT actively supported the "NO" during the
In autumn 2005, the
It supported the movement against the El Khomri law on labor in spring 2016.
The CGT left the Communist-oriented World Federation of Trade Unions at its 1995 congress and became a member of the European Trade Union Confederation in 1999. It is also a member of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) created in 2006.
However, several federations and regional branches of the CGT are affiliated to the WFTU.
Professional elections
The CGT won 34% of the vote in the employee's college during the 2008 professional elections, making it the largest trade union in terms of votes in those elections. This positive result marked the first professional election in which the CGT's vote share had not declined: it had declined constantly from 36.35% in 1987 to 32.13% in 2002.
In Africa
In 1937 CGT began organizing workers in
Within the CGT branches in the region, there was however a growing wish for independence. A leader of CGT in French West Africa, Bassirou Guèye, promoted this idea. At a meeting of the Territorial Union of Trade Unions in Senegal and Mauritania, held in Dakar November 11–November 12, 1955, the majority of delegates voted for separation from the French CGT. A conference was held in Saint-Louis on January 14–January 15, 1956 which formed the Confédération générale des travailleurs africains (CGTA), separating the parts of the West African CGT organizations from the French CGT. At the conference 50 out of 67 delegates had voted for separation.[6]
In Togo, CGT had 45,100 members in 1948 (65% of organized labour). By 1952 the number had decreased to 34,000 (46% of organized labour).[7]
CGT formed a branch in Madagascar in 1936.[8]
Support of week of global climate action
On July 16, 2019 Phillipe Martinez, Secretary General of the CGT, announced that the union will support the week of climate action beginning on September 20, 2019.[9]
Affiliates
Federations
Other affiliates
- Federal Union of State Trade Unions (UFSE)
- General Union of Engineers, Managers and Technicians CGT (UGICT)
- Confederation of CGT retirees' union (UCR)
- Young CGT
- National Committee for the Fight and Defense of the Unemployed
Former federations
Affiliate | Abbreviation | Founded | Reason not affiliated | Year | Membership (1937)[11] | Membership (1946)[11] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air, War and Navy Federation | 16,000 | 15,000 | ||||
Bridge and Road Engineers' Federation | ||||||
Clothing Federation | 1892 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 110,000 | 74,000 | |
Commercial Travellers' Federation | 6,000 | 20,000 | ||||
Coopers' Federation | 18,000 | 18,000 | ||||
Designers' and Technicians' Federation | Dissolved | 1945 | 79,000 | N/A | ||
Federation of Employees |
FEC | 1893 | Joined FO | 1947 | 285,000 | 200,000 |
Federation of Workers in the Wood, Furniture and Allied Industries | Merged into FNSCBA | 2011 | ||||
French Federation of Book Workers | FFTL | 1881 | Merged into FILPAC | 1982 | 60,000 | 55,000 |
General Administration Federation | 23,000 | ? | ||||
Glass Federation | 30,000 | 23,000 | ||||
Hairdressers' Federation | 22,000 | 20,000 | ||||
Hatters' Federation | 10,000 | 10,000 | ||||
Jewellers', Goldsmiths' and Watchmakers' Federation | 12,000 | 8,000 | ||||
National Education Federation | Became independent | 1947 | 101,000 | 150,000 | ||
National Federation of Agricultural Workers | FNTA | 1920 | Merged into FNAF | 1981 | 156,000 | 290,000 |
National Federation of Ceramic, Faience, Pottery and Kindred Industries | 36,000 | 20,000 | ||||
National Federation of Construction Workers | FNTC | 1920 | Merged into FNSCBA | 2011 | 540,000 | 700,000 |
National Federation of Energy | FNE | 1905 | Merged into FNME | 1999 | 80,000 | 105,000 |
National Federation of Food, Hotels, Cafes and Restaurants | Merged into FNAF | 1981 | 300,000 | 300,000 | ||
National Federation of Hides and Leather | 1893 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 88,000 | 86,000 | |
National Federation of Miners | FNTSS | 1883 | Merged into FNME | 1999 | 270,000 | 287,000 |
National Federation of Paper and Cardboard | Merged into FILPAC | 1982 | 72,000 | 40,000 | ||
National Federation of Textile Industry Workers | 1891 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 360,000 | 270,000 | |
Pharmaceutical Federation | 47,000 | 19,000 | ||||
Tobacco and Matchworkers' Federation | 1948 | Merged into FNAF | 2008 | 14,000 | 12,000 | |
Wood Federation |
Leadership
General Secretaries
Year | Secretary |
---|---|
1895 | Absalon Lagailse |
1898 | Maurice Copigneaux |
1900 | Victor Renaudin |
1901 | Eugène Guérard |
1901 | Victor Griffuelhes |
1909 | Louis Niel |
1909 | Léon Jouhaux |
1945 | Benoît Frachon and Léon Jouhaux |
1948 | Benoît Frachon and Alain Le Léap |
1957 | Benoît Frachon |
1967 | Georges Séguy |
1982 | Henri Krasucki |
1992 | Louis Viannet |
1999 | Bernard Thibault |
2013 | Thierry Lepaon |
2015 | Philippe Martinez |
2023 | Sophie Binet |
See also
- List of trade unions
- Anarchism in France
- Politics of France
- CGT-SR
- Trade unions:
- French Democratic Confederation of Labour
- French Confederation of Christian Workers
- Workers' Force
- French Confederation of Management – General Confederation of Executives
- Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques
- Mouvement des Entreprises de France
Footnotes
- from the original on Mar 20, 2023.
- Rue 89, 21 November 2007 (in French)
- ^ Rue 89, 21 November 2007 (in French)
- ^ BnF Catalogue général (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Fall, Mar. L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 24, 27
- ^ Fall, Mar. L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 31–32
- ^ Fall, Mar. L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 44
- ^ Busky, Donald F.. Communism in history and theory. Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2002. p. 128
- ^ La CGT prépare deux journées d'action à la rentrée autour de l'urgence climatique, https://mobile.francetvinfo.fr/economie/syndicats/la-cgt-prepare-deux-journees-d-action-a-la-rentree-autour-de-l-urgence-climatique_3538113.amp Article in FranceInfo
- ^ "La CGT en bref". Institut superieur du travail. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ a b Lorwin, Val (1954). The French Labor Movement. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 324–325.
- ^ French pronunciation: [se ʒe te]
Further reading
- Ross, George. Workers and Communists in France: From Popular Front to Eurocommunism (1982).
External links
- The beginnings of the CGT, 1895–1921 An account and analysis of the anarchistorigins of the CGT, and the later rise of the Communist Party within it.