General Confederation of Labour (France)

History

The CGT was founded in 1895 in Limoges from the merger of the Fédération des bourses du travail (Federation of Labour Councils) and the Fédération nationale des syndicats (National Federation of Trade Unions). Auguste Keufer was amongst the founders and became the first treasurer.

At the end of Henri Krasucki's term (1982–1992), he began to distance himself from the French Communist Party (PCF). His successor, Louis Viannet, did the same, going as far as resigning from the political bureau of the party.

CGT General Secretary Phillipe Martinez announced that the union will support the week of climate action beginning on 20 September 2019.

In 2023, the CGT was involved in the interunion social movement against pension reform which organized strikes and protests in 300 towns across France, and wrote to Emmanuel Macron requesting negotiations, then, having not been received, mediation and a suspension of the 2023 French pension reform bill.

On 18 June 2024, the CGT called for a vote for the New Popular Front (NFP) in the 2024 French legislative elections. with the CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet also personally endorsing the NFP. Céline Verzeletti, a senior CGT member and General Secretary of the Federal Union of State Trade Unions, was nominated by the NFP for Paris's 15th constituency. The decision to endorse the NFP presented a turning point, since while the CGT has regularly called for a vote against the far right, in recent decades it has not called for people to vote for any specific party or bloc, due in part to the CGT's Amiens Charter — which recognizes the independence of trade unions from political parties.

Africa

In 1937 CGT began organizing workers in French West Africa. The union's functioning was interrupted by its banning by the Vichy regime, but in 1943-1948 a process of reconstruction took place. The main centers of activity were Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo and the French Soudan. CGT had an upper hand in the Muslim regions in comparison to the rival French Confederation of Christian Workers, who depended on the presence of Catholic communities for its recruitment. CGT emerged as the major trade union force amongst the 100 000 strong organized labour force in Senegal and Mauritania after the Second World War.

Within the CGT branches in the region, there was however a growing wish for independence. A leader of CGT in French West Africa, Bassirou Guèye, promoted this idea. At a meeting of the Territorial Union of Trade Unions in Senegal and Mauritania, held in Dakar 11 November – 12 November 1955, the majority of delegates voted for separation from the French CGT. A conference was held in Saint-Louis on 14 January – 15 January 1956 which formed the Confédération générale des travailleurs africains (CGTA), separating the parts of the West African CGT organizations from the French CGT. At the conference 50 out of 67 delegates had voted for separation.

In Togo, CGT had 45,100 members in 1948 (65% of organized labour). By 1952 the number had decreased to 34,000 (46% of organized labour).

CGT formed a branch in Madagascar in 1936.

Publications

The CGT has two publications La Vie Ouvrière, and .

Affiliated organisations

Federations

Other affiliates

• Federal Union of State Trade Unions (UFSE-CGT)
• General Union of Engineers, Managers and Technicians CGT (UGICT-CGT)
• Confederation of CGT retirees' union (UCR-CGT)
• Young CGT
• National Committee for the Fight and Defense of the Unemployed

Former federations

Leadership

General Secretaries

Footnotes

References

1. (27 January 2023). "French Union Cuts Power to Pressure Macron on Pensions". Wall Street Journal.
2. Numbers given by Michel Dreyfus, author of ''Histoire de la C.G.T.'', Ed. Complexes, 1999, interviewed in [[Pascal Riché]], [http://www.rue89.com/2007/11/21/en-pronant-la-negociation-la-cgt-peut-faire-bouger-le-syndicalisme En prônant la négociation, la CGT "peut faire bouger le syndicalisme"], ''[[Rue 89]]'', 21 November 2007 {{in lang. fr
3. "BnF Catalogue général".
4. [[Pascal Riché]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20071123105706/http://www.rue89.com/2007/11/21/en-negociant-la-cgt-peut-faire-bouger-le-syndicalisme#comment-150891 En prônant la négociation, la CGT "peut faire bouger le syndicalisme"], ''[[Rue 89]]'', 21 November 2007 {{in lang. fr
5. La CGT prépare deux journées d'action à la rentrée autour de l'urgence climatique, https://mobile.francetvinfo.fr/economie/syndicats/la-cgt-prepare-deux-journees-d-action-a-la-rentree-autour-de-l-urgence-climatique_3538113.amp Article in ''FranceInfo''
6. (16 March 2023). "France pension protests: Clashes after Macron orders rise in pension age without vote". BBC News.
7. (16 March 2023). "Macron uses special powers to force through plan to raise pension age".
8. (17 March 2023). "French anger spreads after Macron forces pension age rise".
9. Dodman, Benjamin. (17 March 2023). "Bitter pension battle turns to democratic crisis as Macron bypasses French parliament".
10. Kagni, Maxence. (19 June 2024). "Législatives : la CGT appelle à voter pour le Nouveau Front populaire, que disent les autres syndicats et les organisations patronales?".
11. (21 June 2024). "Sophie Binet : « Cette fois, il ne suffit pas de dire non à l'extrême droite »".
12. Jouve, Thierry. (20 June 2024). "Législatives : la Haut-Pyrénéenne Céline Verzeletti candidate à Paris".
13. "INFO RMC - « Historique » : la CGT donne une consigne de vote en appelant à élire le Nouveau Front populaire".
14. Fall, Mar. ''L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal''. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 24, 27
15. Fall, Mar. ''L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal''. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 31–32
16. Fall, Mar. ''L'État et la Question Syndicale au Sénégal''. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan, 1989. p. 44
17. Busky, Donald F.. ''Communism in history and theory. Asia, Africa, and the Americas''. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 2002. p. 128
18. "La CGT en bref".
19. (1954). "The French Labor Movement". Harvard University Press.