the urgency of a unitary battle plan to match the anger
This great national strike mobilization called by the CGT, FSU, Solidaires and the UNEF is the continuation of the movement which abandoned January 11 in national education after the ridiculous and deadly protocol of Blanquer in the midst of the Omicron wave.
The Toulouse mobilization meeting was set for 10:30 a.m. on January 27, at Arnaud Bernard. Nearly 5,000 workers and students answered the call, as the pandemic crisis puts ever more pressure on working and study conditions, coupled with inflation that impoverishes our class and Macron’s offensives in the midst of the ongoing campaign.
Many sectors were present and represented both from the public and the private sector: education, health, social workers, the public administration sector (post office, CAF, URSAFF, etc.) , aeronautics, railway workers or even higher education professionals and students.
The aeronautical sector, whose Airbus employees were visible in a procession, but also aeronautical subcontracting such as the Ateliers de la Haute-Garonne were present while a great contradiction runs through their working conditions: the sector is experiencing a significant relaunch with rehiring – which does not catch up with the colossal PSE suffered by the sector – while at the same time the NAOs are still contemptuous and do not even reach the level of inflation.
The delivery men were also present denouncing their precarious working conditions with their disguised salary. This was strike one first in Toulouse for the workers of the Just Eat platform.
Many processions of trade union organizations CGT, FO, South, the FSU stood out as well as political organizations. All of these sectors had many common demands such as the revaluation of wages in relation to inflation, the end of scrapping and means for public services, hiring but also better working conditions in the face of Covid and more usually.
We interviewed workers from different sectors, Diane, a college professor, Yohan, a social worker and Simon, a worker in aeronautical subcontracting, all three activists at Révolution Permanente. Each explains the demands he makes as well as the need to expand the movement beyond the days of occasional strikes organized by the unions:
An inter-organization youth procession was also present, with students from Poing Levé, UNEF, UET, but also staff from higher education and research.
“no more room in high schools so as not to end up with the police!”
Procession of the university of Mirail against the selection at the university, for the increase of the means at the university! 👊🏽🔥 #GreveJanuary 27 pic.twitter.com/KuJ5GboI4b
– The Toulouse Raised Fist (@PoingLeveTlse) January 27, 2022
Rozenn du Poing Levé explains the reasons for the presence of students in the face of Macron’s offensive to make university chargeable, to abolish a large part of the scholarships but also to liberalize the 35-hour program for young people even though has an unemployment rate of nearly 20%:
Permanent Revolution organized a fixed point to meet the strikers and discuss the campaign of Anasse Kazib who is a voice that echoes all the demands of the workers of these sectors in struggle during the presidential debates.
This mobilization shows a latent anger in many sectors in the midst of the Covid crisis supplanted by the economic crisis that the government and the capitalists want us to pay for. It is clear that the announcement of days of sectoral mobilizations does not provide an answer commensurate with the challenges. On the contrary, today it is urgent to demand from the trade union leaders a clear battle plan aimed at the convergence of the entire front line to face the government’s attacks. In Toulouse, this could go through a call for a strike and a demonstration, joint public service personnel – caregivers, such as national education or administrations – as well as the private sector such as aeronautics employees addressing to the whole of our social camp, enabling us to set in motion a much-needed unitary dynamic.