At the beginning of May Socialist Resistance supporters helped to organise a minitour of a French student who had been involved in the LUV CLICHL against the Contrat Premier Embauche (CPE) which forced the govemment to remeal over a muce attack on the working conditions of young people in their first two years of
Unlike Britain, employment.
The CPE would French have made legal the
society has proposal by the Chirac government to allow not been so emplovers in France tolerant of to sack workers under 26 within their first 'Thatcherite' two years of employ- attacks ment.
For the government, it was a solution to the social crisis witnessed by last November's revolt of young people of Immigrant descent, angered at the death of a young black man who was electrocuted whilst being chased by the police.
Jean Baptiste (JB), a student at the University of Nanterre, and a member of the leunneses Communistes Revolutionnaires (JCR) spoke at seven meetings in five days.
Firstly, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in Central London, three meetings in Oxford: John Brookes University, Ruskin College, then
evening meeting at New College, Oxford. The next day on to Brighton Thursday up Birmingham University, and finally Warwick University. In total over attended the meetings, organised short notice and during the exam period.
JB explained that the movement and its victory represented the biggest setback for the government since the strike waves of the mid 1990's. Since 2002 the government had been steadily trying to erode laws protecting workers rights in order to make the French economy more flexible and productive in order to compete more effectively in the world economy.
Unlike Britain, French sociely nas not been so tolerant of these 'Thatcherite' attacks. Every time a government offensive is announced it has been met by large demonstrations, strikes and protests; from the 2003 pensions strikes, the vote against the EU constitution, the school students protests of 2005, the revolt of the banlieux last November.
The student revolt did not grow in a vacuum, but was fed by all these other movements which gave confidence to the University students.
Even so, the student movements of recent years repreSCUL the contnullg development of a new generation of militants who have taken the ideas and tactics of the anticapitalist movement and adapted them for their own struggles.
The movement developed rapidly, but it is important for activists in this country to remember that the tirst protests were small, involving only tens of people at a small number of key universities such as Rennes in Western France, and with a recent militant history of student blockades.
The JCR is a small youth organisation, with only 200 members, but it is doubtful that the movement would have progressed without the key role their activists played, both in organising the blockades, and leading the movement at a national level.
of 85 universities across the country, 68 were blockaded, along with 850 high schools.
March 28 saw the biggest
against the demonsador CPE, with 3 million demonstrating across the country, including trade unionists and pensioners. The solidarity of the workers unions ensured the government had to bid a hasty retreat on April 4.
1he movement was massively popular with the French public; polls pointed to 70 per cent of the entire population against the CPE, and 82 per cent of young
The struggle also was a reterendum on the Chirac govwith HOW allegations in the press of what was being called the 'French Watergate'. A corruption scandal involving Chirac, de Villepin and friends in big business.
Chirac is doing what all leaders do when his back is against the wall; playing the 'national card' and hoping for a French victory in the world
Some universities have requested a speaker for meetings in Britain in September when the universities go back here.
If anyone wishes to arrange a meeting please contact us at: [email protected] et, or phone 07723 696263.