In Belgium, Unions block Fuel Depots in solidarity with French strikers !

Great news ! On Tuesday 26 October, Belgium trade unions started blocking fuel depots in Belgium in a show of solidarity with French strikers.
Exasperated by the fact that Belgium fuel depots have been used extensively over
the weekend to re-supply French service stations on the other side of the border, the FGBT (Federation Generale Belge du Travail) is preventing tank trucks from entering the depots of Feluy and Tertre in central Belgium.
"Sarkozy is threatening the right of French workers to strike by forcing strikers
 to work against their will. He is also trying to break workers' solidarity by sending tank trucks to fill up with petrol in Belgium." a Belgium trade unionist told Le Monde (see the article here)

Monday, October 25th : blockades in my hometown

Here are a few pictures taken yesterday(october 25th) in my hometown. Strikers (auto workers, truckers, teachers, students, railway workers) blocking the entrance to the industrial park and the fuel depot.

The current Class Struggle in France

What happened on Friday at Grandpuits is unprecedented in the recent history of industrial relations in France.
Refinery workers rounded up by the paramilitary police and FORCED to return to work under a so-called "sate of national emergency" law is not only unconstitutional, it is also an indication that the class struggle has reached new heights in Europe.
The news from Granpuits has shoked and angered union members throughout France.
And the rifts between unions on what to do next have not prevented them from calling for more strikes, even after the bill on pensions becomes law on Wednesday, October 27th.
Even the reformist unions, like the CFDT and UNSA, acknowledge that they are under strong pressure from the rank and file to pursue the strikes.
Outraged by what happened at Grandpuits, the workers from 9 other French refineries have extended the strike by at least another week, fuel depots are being re-blocked as soon as the riot police leave them and there is every indication that this mass movement is set to last. The objective of disrupting the economy to put pressure on bosses is the unifying strategy of strikers all over the country. They understand that in the class war, production is the key to disrupting the normal profits of the Capitalists. They openly seek to prevent the accumulation cycle of Capital from taking place in the sphere of production and realization by the most efficient means possible.

The strikes are taking their toll in terms of wages lost (in the railway and energy sectors for example), particularly as real purchasing power has been declining steadily over the last twenty years. Therefore, and quite naturally, workers are turning to direct action and "sabotage" tactics that can profoundly disrupt the economy while organizing "rolling strikes" in which they participate some days and not others.
Again, the movement as it now stands can last for some time, and the bosses are very worried. They are complaining that production is stopped at many factories due to shortages of raw materials and fuel. Le Monde's characterization of the protests as "a long-lasting, peaceful social guerrilla" is not far from the truth.
Workers are determined to stand up to the government's bullying, and are returning to all the old favorites of solidarity strikes, strike funds, direct action, sabotage, revolving strikes, etc. And workers from all sectors are acting together, are systematically manning picket lines together, are supporting each other... The union leaderships have no choice, for the time being, than go with the flow. But there is little doubt among many strikers that they will try and reach a settlement with the government at the earliest opportunity.

The government itself is also taking up a hardline position in the class war. The authoritarian leanings of the present government are becoming clearer by the day. After drastically increasing police powers,  deporting gypsies, imposing severe restrictions on the right to strike (the so-called "minimal service" laws), they are now using "state of emergency" decrees to force strikers back to work. And even though a judge declared the requisition of strikers unconstitutional on Friday, the government simply went on with the requisitions, knowing that the strikers will have to wait until Monday to get an injunction from a judge suspending the government decree. This has very serious implications.

The pension reform revolt (which everybody knows is about the redistribution of wealth and not only the retirement age) is an important moment in France and Europe. 

 

From my hometown in France : Videos and updates on the strikes

On Tuesday, October 19th, the junior High School of Val d'Huisne, in my hometown, was burnt down to the ground by persons unknown, and the action then blamed on strikers.
The authorities had been meaning to shut down this school for the last two years in the name of budget cuts, but thanks to teachers and parents, it had remained open for the students from the working class "Sablons" neighbourhood.
The school burned all night despite the best efforts of fire-fighters. Incendiary devices were found in the rubble. Now, nothing is left.

 On Thursay October 21st, numerous road blocks put in place by municipal workers, students, auto workers, railway workers, nurses, teachers, and many others. Only trucks and buses are blocked, drivers returning home from work are allowed to pass. Many honk  to signify their support.

On Friday, strikers (auto workers, truckers, teachers, railway workers, manufacturing workers) manage to force their way into the local council (Conseil General) meeting in my hometown. They are greeted with applauses by French Communist Party and Socialist Party mayors and Members of Parliament.
The strikers heckle Fabienne Labrette-Ménager, right-wing MP from a local constituency, who has just introduced a private parliament member's bill which would authorize police to arrest "strikers who disrupt traffic".
The strikers : "Shame ! Shame !"
Fabienne Labrette-Ménager : "I'm not ashamed ! You're preventing honest, hard-working people from going to work...And you're increasing the number of unemployed people through your actions."
The strikers : "How many unemployed people do you know ? It's surprising you would mingle with such lowly people !"
Fabienne Labrette-Ménager : "Well, I used to be the head of the Manpower private employment agency !"
Applause from workers "Bravo ! bravo ! Making money from those desperate for a job ! Well done !"

On Thursay, strikers address the riot police who are preventing them from blocking the Arnages fuel depot over a loud-speaker :
"ATTENTION RIOT-POLICE, PARAMILITARIES AND MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES ! THIS IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE HOSPITAL WORKERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS ! BEWARE OF  THE SIGNS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS ! FEELING THE WORK YOU ARE DOING BRINGS NO PERSONAL FULFILLMENT ? PRESSURE FROM SUPERVISORS ? INABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS ? INCREASED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION TO HELP YOU COPE ? ALL THOSE ARE WARNING SIGNS OF WORK-RELATED STRESS AND DEPRESSION. DO NOT OVERLOOK THESE SYMPTOMS ! PLEASE COME AND TALK TO HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN THE PICKET LINE WHO WILL LISTEN AND HELP YOU."

Strikes in France

I’m exhausted.
I’ve spent the last three days going from road block to road block, together with teachers, railroad workers, truckers, nurses, etc.
So far, in our sector, we’ve managed the feat of keeping the Arnages oil depot totally closed since Friday 4 AM !
As a result, all the petrol stations in a radius of 70 kms are closed, completely out of gas.
I slept 4 hours on Friday night, 6 hours on Saturday, 2 on Monday … Today, we got the main Teachers’ Union to call on all striking teachers to come and help block all the remaining fuel depots.
The police can’t intervene, because the truckers have established road blocks on the major roads leading to the oil depot.
What is incredible is that despite the fact that there is no more oil available, and therefore that people are blocked at home, a resounding 71% of the population approves of the strike (according to today’s opinion polls).
The movement is set to last at least another week. I spent the whole of Sunday night with transport (railway and truckers) workers playing cards and drinking beer. It was quite cold (2°C) around 4 AM, but the railroad workers brought several truck-loads of “palettes” (empty wooden containers) and we lit a might bonfire.
Striking workers from the neighbouring  Renault factory brought firecrackers and we spent the wee hours of the morning lighting them.
Workers are determined to fight until the bitter end. Workers who chose not to go on strike are being encouraged to donate part of their salary to the workers of the most “strategic” sectors, especialy the Donges raffinery.
Personally, this is my 6th day of Strike. An open-ended strike that might not be the best way of going about things, the consensus now being that “revolving” strikes (15% of the workforce on strike on a given day) would enable us to hold out longer.
The support from “ordinary people” is astounding. When we block a freeway, drivers often honk to support us, give us money, hand us daily newspapers, even though we are effectively blocking them.
I’ve decided to stay on strike for a further three days but to spend more time with my family, which is also what the union is advocating. Some comrades have spent 4 days without going home and the union is worried this may cause trouble with spouses,who are forced to look after the kids, which would further undermine our resolve.
All 12 French oil refineries are on strike until next Friday. Many depots are blocked. Half the trains in France are blocked (including in major railroad nodes).
Truckers have blocked the roads leading to the main production areas, and factories cannot function because they lack raw material and pieces (they don’t have any stocks of materials stored because they believe storage costs money).
Anyway, the mood is indescribable. Workers from every sector are united and determined, and for the first time, many workers can chat with people employed in other industries knowing that they share a common goal.
The only problem is, it will be hard, very hard to go back to work. But thanks to the government, people are prepared to remain on strike until next week. Then we’ll see.
It’s a general strike and a lot of ordinary workers I’ve talked to are determined not to resume work until the retirement age is brought back to 60.
Some problems remain, even though A LOT, a great, great deal, has been accomplished since last Tuesday.
1) There is a call for an indefinite strike on the part of many unions.
2) The union membership is demanding support from the union bureaucracy which is forced to yield
3) Public opinion overwhelmingly supports the strike
4) The economic impact of the blockade is being increasingly felt by the bosses, who are now uncertain whether to follow the government or call for a truce.
5) the strike has bread true comradeship between workers of very different sectors, and the blur/white-collar worker gap is slowly being bridged.
6) despite the loss of wages, the determination of workers is still extremely strong, BECAUSE they can actually see that although they are loosing money, so are the bosses.
negative points :
1) the government has declared a state of emergency and is threatening to impose prison sentences on “those who seek to destroy the country”. Of course, nobody takes those threats seriously, but still…
2) agents provocateurs are burning down public buildings and then blaming this on strikers.
3) the government is trying to appear as “the restorer of order” and is increasingly accusing the unions of “undemocratic behaviour, because picket lines prevent those who wish to go to work from doing so”.
4) tensions are rising between the union rank and file and the union leadership. There are rumours that the leadership is ready for a “sell-out”.
5) left-wing political parties are telling people that going on strike is well and good, but voting for a “socialist” candidate in the 2012 presidential election is the only way forward. Yeah ! A “socialist” government, just like in Greece !
I’ve lost a fourth of my monthly salary so far, have had my car window smashed by people unknown, but am feeling very happy by the way ordinary people have decided enough was enough.
I suppose I should get ready for a rude awakening.

Aux non-grévistes dans l'EN

Mais bien sûre ceux qui manifestent n'ont pas compris quelle est leur
place. C'est un comble que ceux qui, dans l'ordre des choses, sont sensé
travailler, se taire et appliquer les directives des dirigeants, se
permettent de ne pas travailler et de ne pas se taire. Mais c'est
n'importe quoi , voyons ! C'est même très grave !

C'est notre rôle de continuer à travailler, de permettre aux autres de
travailler, de ne pas encourager les propos insensés et utopistes sur
une retraite à 60 ans, de rappeler aux élèves qu'ils n'ont pas à bloquer
les lycées car la réforme de la retraite ne les concerne absolument pas
(après tout, il leur faudra attendre... euh ... 2050 ? 2060 ? 2070 ?
cette satanée espérance de vie ne fait que s'allonger !).

Trêve de plaisanteries, l'idée que des enseignants se prononcent pour ou
contre un blocage de lycée lors d'un mouvement inter-professionel de
grêve reconductible d'une telle ampleur, c'est tout simplement une idée
du "retour à l'ordre". Et comme dans tous les "retours à l'ordre" (après
1936, après 1945, après 1968, après 1995), on essaie de manipuler "la
majorité silencieuse" contre les "débordements". Si en 1936 nos
grands-parents y avaient cédé, nous n'aurions pas les congés payés. Si
en 1945 nos parents y avaient cédé, nous n'aurions pas la sécu. Le
retour à l'ordre, "voulu par la majorité prise en otage par les
grévistes", c'est justement le déni de l'expression du mécontentement
populaire au profit des puissants.