A thousand people marched for May Day in Avignon
“We don’t give up”, it was the flagship slogan of this demonstration of May 1st in Avignon this Sunday. All the trade unions have called together for a rally on the Cours Jean Jaurès in the middle of the morning. Force Ouvrière, CGT, Sud-Solidaires, SNES-FSU… all the flags were present. All professions were represented: teachers, postal workers, railway workers, but also nursing staff. All seemed united and warned the new elected president in song.
Unions are strength
For Frédéric Laurent, CGT departmental secretary, the message is clear: “With the latest announcements on retirement at 65, we know very well that we will have to continue the fight, to be heard.” But not only, this year and after 2 years of pandemic all unions want to put social dialogue back at the heart of politics. For Aurélia Dessalles, secondary school teacher and member of the SNES union, “Who better than the workers themselves to talk about work? Around a table at the ministry, it seems to me that we are perhaps the only ones to have feedback from our colleagues on the ground!”
A little further FO and Solidaires tell the same story. “We must put an end to the defensive struggles”, launches Michel, postman. At FO we add that it is a question of being a force of proposal not of being against only.
Unlike the outbursts observed elsewhere in France, this Avignon demonstration for Workers’ Day took place in a festive manner accompanied by music.