France: Worker and Student Unions Call for Further Strikes and Protests on April 5 and April 9

CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL and FIDL

Joint Communique

March 31, 2016

The powerful day of strikes and demonstrations involving more than a million people in 260 cities demonstrated the unwavering determination of university and high school students, wage earners, private-employment and retirees to obtain both the withdrawal of the labour bill and to conquer new social rights.

The unions CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL and FIDL reaffirm that in a context of rising unemployment, explosion of precariousness and poverty, this text will organize a general regression of rights, creating a dumping social between companies of the same territory and the same branch and aggravate inequalities between wage earners.

Contrary to the government, labour bill would create in any case the permanent jobs needed for recovery and investment.

The government must listen to the thousands of university and high school student, wage earners, workers in private companies and retirees who were today in the streets and at the strike calls in many companies. They must hear calls on behalf of the 70% of the population who believe the government must remove the text, it is not amendable as its overall philosophy would remain unchanged.

The signatory unions argue again that governments must guarantee the right to demonstrate, to assemble, to organize, while ensuring the safety of protesters.

They confirm their readiness to meet with the government and make new proposals on rights in terms of employment, wages and pensions, working time, social protection, group benefits, working conditions, training and rights union freedoms. Bearing proposals for social progress and corresponding to the reality of work today and for tomorrow.

Already, new days of mobilization with strikes and demonstrations are planned and that on 5 April at the initiative of the youth organizations. The wage earners will mobilize in various forms, including with the interpellation of parliamentarians.

On April 9, they call for the success of a new great action day of strikes and demonstrations.

If the government does not respond, the trade unions CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, UNEF, UNL, LDIFs remain determined to continue and mobilization, including demonstrations and general strikes, for the withdrawal from the labour bill and conquer new social rights. They decided to meet again on 6 April.