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More than ever, this powerful strike movement needs our international solidarity. Please send your solidarity statement to the General Union of Workers of Guadeloupe (UGTG) and to the Collective of 49 Organizations to:Collectif des 49 Organisations
UGTG, Rue Paul Lacavé 97 110 Point-à-Pitre Guadeloupe
Fax : International : 011 335 90 89 08 70
Email : ugtg@wanadoo.fr
In solidarity,
Ed Rosario and Alan Benjamin
ILC - USA
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GUADELOUPE
Second Week of the General Strike in Guadeloupe
The arrival of the French Secretary of State for Overseas Territories:
Does it finally mean real negotiations?
Since January 20, a general strike has paralyzed Guadeloupe. Triggered, in unity, by all the trade unions and popular organizations on the island, which formed a Collective "Movement Against Exploitation" ("Liyannaj kont pwofitasyon"), the strike's main demands are an increase in the minimum wage of 200 euros, an increase in social benefits, lower prices for basic staples and gas (which is 50% more expensive than in the French metropolitan mainland), and a freeze on rents. In total there are 146 specific demands.
These are 146 demands raised by workers and the working masses with their organizations. After the attacks by the representatives of the French government, who tried to break the negotiations, and after the most powerful demonstration yet, which brought together more than 60,000 people in Pointe-à-Pitre, the French Secretary of State for Overseas Territories, Yves Jego, was dispatched to the island to try to end the conflict.
Are we really entering a phase of negotiations, to take into account the genuine demands of a population hard hit by the crisis?
"Without results, the strike continues. We are ready to intensify the movement if the strike assemblies want this," says a spokesperson for the Collective of 49 Organizations. "We presented a platform of demands. There is room for negotiation if the French government really wants this. Mr Jego told us, upon arrival, that he was carrying proposals with him. We will see what he has to offer, particularly regarding the minimum wage and minimum social benefits and prices. As in French Guyana, gasoline is more expensive here; Why? We want clear answers and transparency about this. Another example: Butter costs 80% more than in the mainland. Distributors make the law and we want this to change."
This mandate for change by the tens of thousands of strikers was carefully specified and quantified in their 146 demands. It is up to the Minister to respond.
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In response to the call of the Collective of 49 labor organizations and popular organizations, "Liyannaj kont pwofitasyon," 65, 000 protested in the streets of Pointe-à-Pitre
"Against high prices and for more purchasing power"
On this small island, 65,000 protested. A huge show of power was organized on January 30 in Pointe-à-Pitre, the main city of Guadeloupe, in response to the call of the Collective of 49 organizations "Liyannaj kont pwofitasyon" (Movement against exploitation).
On the eighth day of the strike "Against high prices and for greater purchasing power" came this mobilization, the likes of which have never ever been seen on the island.
Tens of thousands of workers, activists and young people demonstrated last Saturday in Pointe-à-Pitre in response to the authorities' attempt to break the movement and block the negotiations in progress. They emphasized the platform developed in 146 points at the start of the strike.
Guadeloupe is now completely paralyzed. There is no bus circulation; the port, utilities, schools, university, department stores and most businesses and shops are closed. The district of Baie-Mahault, the heart of the business district, is deserted. The port activity is virtually at a standstill. It is a general strike. There is much confidence in the strength of the movement, the unity achieved. A port worker explains: "The authorities tried to say that the strike is over, that we're finished. But not only are we strong -- we are even stronger than before." A teacher spoke of the moment as "historic" and said also that "the strategy of waiting for us to give up will not work."
Arriving on Sunday February 1st, in the wake of this powerful show of force, the State Secretary, Yves Jego, immediately declared that he was "carrying proposals" and would "listen to everybody."
In an obvious attempt to divide the movement, he began by meeting with the managers of the gas stations and agreed to limit the number of service stations to 118 for three years. The reaction of all the strikers was summarized by this reflection of a bus driver: "If the French state can respond positively to the managers of the gas stations, then it can and should respond positively to the 145 other demands of the strike. "
The authorities must stop blocking the negotiations
On January 28, while negotiations had been going on for the past two days, the Prefect of Guadeloupe read a letter from Secretary of State for Overseas, Yves Jego.
The reading of the letter profoundly shocked the representatives of the trade unions and organizations present and the tens of thousands of Guadeloupeans who listened to the negotiations live on radio and television.
In his letter, the Secretary of State indeed threatened the strikers and the organizations with the legal sanctions and other forms of coercion. He said that a precondition for renewing negotiations was the end to the general strike. Secretary of State Jego then set out the proposals of the French government for this "dialogue": In response to the demand for an increase in the minimum wage of 200 euros, Mr. Jego offered "a premium of 200 euros in April (valid for the whole year) to 40,000 of the poorest households."
An "unacceptable" decision
In response to the demand of a general increase in wages and minimum social standards, Mr. Jego offered "the assurance given to all businesses in Guadeloupe that they will pay no payroll tax on all wages up to 1.4 SMIC (minimum wage). And on this note, the Prefect ended the "negotiations" meeting, while armed reinforcements arrived at Guadeloupe Transal in two planes from French Guyana."
The ultimatum proposal by Jego was rejected by the delegates mandate to negotiate with the authorities, and it was described as "unacceptable" by the Socialist Party MP Mr. Jalton and by the President of the General Council of Guadeloupe. The next day, 60 000 workers and young people demonstrated in Basse-Terre, reiterating the demands of the entire population.
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Appeal of Unions of Martinique for a Strike on February 5
"All employees affected are civil service, agriculture, baking, metallurgy, health, construction, factories, service stations, shops, hotels, janitorial and security services, Education, Post Office, CGSSM, CAF, cleaning , the banking sector. We are all concerned: retired, unemployed, people with disability ...
Since January 20, the masses in Guadeloupe have opened the path forward.
The time of unity and the mobilization has come. In all enterprises, we must organize general assemblies to prepare for this great movement. All on strike as of February 5!
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The message of the CUT trade union federation of Brazil, January 29, 2009 (excerpt)
"... The Central Confederation of Workers (CUT) of Brazil is in total solidarity with the general strike of our fellow workers in Guadeloupe and we call on the French government to immediately come back to the negotiating table with the organizations representing the workers and meet the demands put forward by the general strike. "
Julio Turra,
Member of the Executive Committee of the CUT
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"The employers and the representatives of the French state hope to have the strike peter out and then punish the strikers"
International Call of the 49 organizations and democratic workers organizations:
"Despite the commitment signed on behalf of the French government, the official representatives left the negotiating table on Wednesday January 28, 2009 with thinly veiled threats of repression; they had mobilized several dozen mobile troops, in addition to hundreds of other units that had arrived a week before.
The bosses ignore the workers' demands, despite the commitments they signed.
Elected officials subordinate their proposals, which are already far from satisfying the demands, to an agreement with the State, while the latter refuses to return to the negotiating table (...) .
Workers, the people of Guadeloupe do not accept this contempt.
Thus, a demonstration of more than 65,000 (roughly 15% of the total population of Guadeloupe) was held on Friday January 30, 2009, in the streets of Pointe-à-Pitre.
Yet, the French government continues to procrastinate.
Are they waiting for the strike to peter out in order then to repress it?
Dear comrades, dear friends,
On behalf of the international working class solidarity, on behalf of democracy, we again call for your support.
Guadeloupe Workers have the right to fight for their legitimate demands."
ADIM - AFOC - AGPIHM - Akiyo - AN BOUT'AY - ANG - ANKA - ASSE - ASS.AGRICULTEURS NORTHERN LOWER TERRE - ASS.LIBERTE EQUAL JUSTICE - CFTC - CGTG - CNL - COMBAT WORKER - Water Committee - CONVENTION FOR A NEW GUADELOUPE - COPAGUA - CSFG - CTU - ESPERANCE ENVIRONMENT - Faena SNCL - FOR - FSU - GIE SBT - KAMODJAKA - KAP Gwadloup - THE GREENS - MADIC - MAS KA KLE - Mouvman NONM - PCG - SGEP / SNEC / CFTC - SOS B / ENVIRONMENT Earth - SPEG - SUD PTT GWA - SUNICAG - SYMPA CFDT - travay é Peyizan - UDCLCV - UIR CFDT - UNSA - UGTG - UPG - UPLG - UMPG - VOukoum - SNUIPP - ADEIC.
