October 21, 2010
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We are sending you below a document on the struggle of the working class in France in opposition to the dismantling of the pension/retirement system by the Sarkozy government.
This document is the editorial of the latest issue of Informations ouvrières [Labor News], which was published on Wednesday October 20, after the latest day of strikes and demonstrations that took place on Tuesday, October 19.
On October 16 a national day of demonstrations and strikes took place in cities and towns across France. These actions were just as massive as the previous ones held over the past month, but with a much greater involvement of youth -- especially of university and high school students. On October 19 there was an even higher number of strikers in several branches. The workers in the main oil refineries and in the main fuel depots are on strike, creating a lack of fuel nationwide.
The situation today is that the Sarkozy government intends to finalize the vote of its pension reform in the Parliament as soon as possible, while the opposition to this counter-reform from the working class
remains as strong as ever. We will continue to inform you regularly on the evolution of the situation.
-- Informations Ouvrieres
[Note: Also see attached cover page of Issue No. 119 (New Series, or 2513 Old Series) with the headline of "Retrait!" -- that is, the call to Withdraw the Sarkozy Plan. The photo shows a union contingent in the massive march in Paris of October 12 that was part of a 3.5-million-strong nationwide mobilization to demand that Sarkozy withdraw his plan altogether.]
EDITORIAL INFORMATIONS OUVRIÈRES N° 120 -- October 20, 2010
Who Wants to Rescue the government?
Once again, the working class has expressed its power today, 19 October, when millions of workers, together with students from upper secondary schools and universities flooded into the streets throughout the country to demand the withdrawal of the Sarkozy-Fillon-Woerth
counter-reform of pensions. What's going to happen tomorrow? No one can answer the question today.
But another question is posed, to which everyone knows the answer: Who wants to rescue the government? François Hollande, one of the leaders of the Socialist Party, wants "talks to be held on the basis of the present plan, between the government, on one side, and the social partners on the other." Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a Green leader, says that :"Since the government is going to stand firm", it would be "more rational for the trade unions to organize a summit with the Left in order to draw up another,
alternative counter-reform." Martine Aubry, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, and Jean-Marc Ayrault, President of the Socialist Party group in the French National Assembly, have made similar
statements. In short, for these political figures, the trade unionsshould be shackled to the Sarkozy "reform", whether it be to the "present plan" that is, the palan that has been rejected by millions
of people demonstrating and going on strike, or to a more-or-less similar "left-wing" version of this plan.
For months, workers, in their workplaces and in the huge demonstrations and marches that have swept through cities and towns across France, have been rallying around their trade union organizations to impose the withdrawal of the Sarkozy plan. And even if at the top of some union confederations, the demand that the plan should be withdrawn has encountered some resistance, the call to withdraw the Sarkozy plan has been gaining ground day after day. In fact, it has now brought together workers and trade unions in a united strike.
That is precisely what poses a problem to some of these politicians. That is why they are taking to the airwaves to promote a corporatist solution that would require that the working-class organisations,
primarily the trade unions, take part in the destruction of pensions, one way or another.
Should anyone doubt this, suffice it to mention the interview of François Hollande published in Les Echos (18 October).
The question is: "Is the effort made by the Sarkozy government to reduce the public deficit sufficient?". Hollande answered: "Frankly, I don't think it is." The answer provides the key. The big financial institutions keep an eye on the French debt. To secure the stability of speculative investments, they demand cuts in public spending. A commission chaired by Jacques Attali, former adviser to President Mitterrand and now to adviser to President Sarkozy, has just issued a report recommending that by 2013, ¤75 billion Euros be cut from government spending -- on top of the budgets cuts to local governments and to Social Security.
This murderous plan attacking the working class stems from a submission to the rating agencies, speculators and institutional funds. The reason why the leaders of the Socialist Party today advocate the rescue of Sarkozy' s counter-reform is that they refuse to break with the financial power of the capitalist system based on the private ownership of the means of production and its institutions: the
European Union, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank.(1)
The fact remains that, whatever happens now, the power of the working class, which for months has been grouped together with its organizations against the counter-reform, has become a permanent
factor in the situation. Such is, at the moment, the state of the forces of the working class and its organizations, and the nature of the obstacles standing in their path. Hence the relevance of the appeal launched by the National Council of the POI (Independent Workers Party). It is indeed urgent to stop the destructive arm of the government. And to work towards that goal -- to organize the discussion between workers and activists of all political affiliations [at a National Conference of Delegates on December 11 initiated by the POI -- Tr. Note] about the means needed to achieve working-class unity for the withdrawal of all counter-reforms, for the reconquest of rights and democracy.
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