A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #338 - Teisseire, Valdunes, Conforama and strike at Macchu Pichu: chronicles of the class struggle - Wage insubordination 338 (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

For shareholders of CAC 40 companies, that's fine! ---- 25 of the 40 
companies alone generated 123.9 billion euros. Figures which are driven 
by two sectors: luxury and automobiles. Hermès, LVMH, Kering and L'Oréal 
alone make 29 billion euros in profits: an increase of 7%. . More than 
two billion euros for Renault, 18.6 billion for Stellantis which takes 
second place behind TotalEnergies. At Stellantis, the group's boss 
announced that 1.9 billion euros would be redistributed to employees 
around the world. (An incentive bonus of 4,100 euros in France).

For their bosses, it's okay too...
Luca De Meo, CEO for a year at the head of Renault, should receive 
around 4.5 million euros for the 2022 results. And this remains well 
behind the remuneration of Carlos Tavares because the boss of Stellantis 
could receive up to 'to 23.5 million euros. As for the general 
remuneration of CAC 40 bosses, they have increased twice as fast as 
those of their employees.

The European directive on platform workers definitively blocked by the 
Macron government.
Friday February 16, during the Committee of Permanent Representatives of 
the Council of the European Union (EU), the governments of Germany, 
Greece and Estonia abstained from voting. France, for its part, declared 
that it was "not able to support the text", which amounts to abstention. 
These four states forming a blocking minority according to community 
rules, the text could not be voted on.
This version of the presumption of employment should allow workers who 
so wish to obtain the status of employees and the related rights (paid 
leave, compensated sick leave, unemployment), provided they prove the 
link of subordination with the platform. form that uses them. Out of 28 
million workers affected in 2022 (a figure which could reach 43 million 
in 2025), Brussels estimates the number of "false" self-employed people 
to be 5.5 million.

Furthermore, employees[1]are mobilizing in many sectors

At EDF, the agents strongly mobilized following the call of the 
inter-union which called for a strike for wages on January 30,
At Public Finance, a campaign on remuneration is underway and a new 
mobilization took place on January 29 with rallies throughout France
In Education, strike on February 1 for wages, working conditions, 
employment and school. The strong mobilization was continued on February 6.
On February 6, there was also a mobilization on salaries in the PIC 
(parcel distribution) of the Post Office,
In the branch of service providers (call centers, hosts and hostesses, 
etc.), after the success of the mobilization of January 23, a new day of 
strike will take place on March 13,
In the civil service strike on March 19, day of mobilization at the call 
of the public service inter-union.
The feminist strike on March 8 will focus on these questions: 70% of 
people using food aid are women.
When will these struggles be unified, for an indexation of wages to 
inflation and an increase of EUR400 for all? And additional increases, 
for the lowest salaries...
Note
1. This part of this section is deliberately feminized. A way of 
reminding us that the feminist strike of March 8 concerns everyone.

France
France's main ports affected by dockers' strike against pension reform
The ports of Marseille-Fos, Le Havre as well as Rouen and even Lorient 
and Brest were affected by the movement. The dockworkers mobilized at 
the call of the CGT are protesting against the reform which postpones 
their retirement for two years, believing that it does not sufficiently 
take into account the arduousness of their work.

SNCF: Agents of the commercial train service (ASCT), the name given to 
controllers by the SNCF, will be on strike throughout the weekend of 
February 16 at the call of the National Collective of ASCT and the SUD 
and CGT unions.
At the heart of the conflict, the non-compliance with the memorandum of 
understanding signed by the four representative unions of the SNCF (CGT, 
UNSA, SUD, CFDT), the day after the Christmas 2022 strike - followed by 
more than one agent on two. The protocol provided, among other things, 
for the recognition of arduousness, which should result in the 
establishment of a gradual cessation of activity allowing people to 
retire a little earlier, from 2023. However, this measure is still 
waiting. As well as the commitment to the presence of two controllers 
per TGV. In addition to these two central demands, the controllers, who 
feel like they have been fooled, are demanding salary measures to deal 
with inflation. The salaries of controllers at the start of their career 
do not exceed 1700 to 1800 euros net. (Balance of power)

Two months after the start of their strike, which began at the end of 
November, around forty firefighters from Reims demonstrated on the 
morning of February 9 in front of Reims town hall, where they had a 
meeting with the mayor. They denounce a decline in their quality of life 
at work: more and more interventions are being requested from 
firefighters, which could be the responsibility of the SAMU or even the 
police.

On February 5, the Port firefighters (Reunion Island) walked off the 
job, initiating a protest movement against the lack of resources they 
experience in the exercise of their duties in the department.
A memorandum of understanding has been found. The strike therefore only 
lasted a few hours.
But the anger of the Port firefighters also concerns the lack of 
resources, more precisely of intervention vehicles, which impacts their 
work every day. Several of their interventions had to be put on hold due 
to a lack of VSAV (rescue and assistance vehicle for victims).

The strike movement, started on January 9, 2024 by employees of SEMOP 
Agglo'bus (the only urban transport network in Guyana - see previous CA) 
ended on January 19. Among the demands obtained, fixed-term contracts of 
more than 12 months will be converted to permanent contracts. Finally, 
the audit requests made by the strikers will be carried out,

They came to the fourth floor of Beauregard hospital on January 24 to 
knock directly on the door of their management and demand the 
resignation of their team leader. Around twenty employees of the Pamar 
laundry have been on a renewable strike since January 15 after having 
exercised their right of withdrawal for around twenty days.
The employees of this laundry, which washes and prepares both the linen 
and the outfits of the staff of several private hospitals in Marseille, 
denounce the methods of their team leader. They denounce infernal 
speeds, death threats, repeated humiliations and unacceptable working 
conditions. Some employees have contacted the labor inspectorate. Six 
complaints were filed.

Employees at the Teisseire syrup factory in Crolles, Isère, returned to 
work on January 24, after 11 days of strike. Since January 12 they have 
been protesting against their management methods. The summons of one of 
them to a disciplinary interview had ignited the powder. An agreement to 
end the conflict was reached on January 23 between management and staff 
representatives.

Transport in Ile-de-France: the CGT RATP has filed a strike notice from 
February 5 to September 9. The union considers management's 
announcements insufficient, in a context of inflation and preparation 
for the Paris 2024 Games.

Liberal nurses demonstrated on February 10 in France. The profession has 
not been increased since 2009.
The demands do not stop there. The collective of angry liberals from 
Drôme-Ardèche would like the hardship to be taken into account: "...we 
are not as well equipped as in hospitals and we lift patients all day 
long. It will be complicated to work until 67 for most of us."

At the end of nine days of strike, the garbage collectors of Perpignan 
Méditerranée Métropole decided on February 9, 2024 to suspend the 
movement. Work was to resume with the promise of opening negotiations on 
agent bonuses.

The majority of the 110 employees (including 100% of permanent 
employees) at the Gustav-Zander clinic in Aix-les-Bains (Savoie) were on 
strike on February 5 to demand a salary increase. Nearly 120 patients 
were unable to receive rehabilitation. Continuity of care is ensured at 
a minimum for the 60 hospitalized patients. The striking employees 
gathered in front of the establishment's reception under banners 
"nothing for salaries, everything for shareholders". The strikers are 
demanding a 10% increase in salaries, whether they are nurses, 
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or caregivers. The director 
of the Zander center assures that on salaries, there is no room for 
maneuver at the local level and that negotiations are carried out at the 
national level for all of the group's employees in the 300 nursing homes 
and more than 100 clinics.
The local representative assures "that in the group, the establishments 
are economic and social units. Each establishment has its own accounts 
and its own profits. The employees want all this to be redistributed.»

Around fifty Alinéa and Zodio employees demonstrated in front of the 
Alinéa store in Pontet (Vaucluse) on February 10. They are protesting 
against the elimination of 64 positions and against their departure 
conditions. In total, the two brands employ around a hundred people in 
Vaucluse. The Mulliez group, which owns Alinéa and Zodio, is in 
financial difficulties and announces a permanent closure of the Alinéa 
du Pontet store. The Zodio store in Vedène will be replaced by a small 
Alinéa.
Employees want to influence their departure conditions. "We want to 
leave in good conditions, in conditions commensurate with the Mulliez 
family group, we want guarantees on reclassification leave, on the 
number of months we will be supported or even on the percentage on which 
we are going to get paid.»

Eiffel Tower: monument unions have called for a renewable strike from 
February 19. They denounce poor financial management by the municipality.

The Vaucluse Matin editorial team is always on deck to defend 
employment. To convey this message to their shareholder, the journalists 
went up to the Avignon bridge on Friday February 9 to hang a banner: 
"Crédit Mutuel wants to liquidate the press, #sauvonsvauclusematin", 
after the announcement of a plan to austerity aimed at reducing the 
workforce by 40%, or nine positions out of 24 employees. The bank is the 
sole shareholder of the Ebra group which owns Le Dauphiné Libéré and 
Vaucluse Matin.

Tense situation within the logistics center of the Guadeloupe University 
Hospital, between management and strikers affiliated with the UTS-UGTG. 
The union behind a strike that began in early February is campaigning in 
particular for the development of staff careers. The negotiations drag 
on. For the strikers, the logistics center also deserves modernization 
and upgrading work. The current site suffers from electricity, tiling 
and water problems; or even malfunctioning equipment.

Valdunes (continued again)
According to the document sent by the potential buyer Europlasma, the 
group's two sites would be taken over: Trith-Saint-Léger, in 
Valenciennois and Leffrinckoucke, near Dunkirk. What was hoped... On the 
other hand, only 175 employees out of around 300 would be retained.
As a reminder, Valdunes has been in receivership since its Chinese 
shareholder withdrew. It is the last in France to carry out this type of 
production (train wheels), thus becoming a symbol of industrial sovereignty.
Europlasma's offer is the only one to have been submitted, according to 
the Ministry of the Economy, which specifies that "questions arise 
around the financing of public authorities" but suggests that the State 
will financially support this project. Europlasma promises 24 million 
euros of investment over the next three years.
The Lille commercial court could validate this takeover offer on March 20.
To the extent that, once again, it is public money that will be 
injected, why not ask the question of the socialization of this company?

A blow to Conforama employees in Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche, in Isère, 
between Bourgoin-Jallieu and Vienne: the furniture brand's logistics 
site will close! The CEO announced it during an extraordinary CSE on 
January 10. Of the 118 permanent employees, 78 will lose their jobs, 
with no prospects for the moment. A job protection plan should be put in 
place, no closure date has been announced. Employees expected a pooling 
of resources following the takeover two years ago by the Mobiluxe group, 
also owner of the But brand, but did not expect a dry and "violent" closure.
"We have mourned our jobs, now the only thing left for us to do is to 
fight as best as possible, as intelligently as possible to leave as 
dignified as possible, with the biggest check possible. We are not 
asking for the moon, we are just asking that the Mobilux group, which 
paid hundreds of millions to shareholders last week, gives us our share" 
asks a trade unionist.

International
BELARUS: Women trade unionists in prison
Belarus is cited among the 10 worst countries for working women. During 
the massive uprising in Belarus against Lukashenko and his regime in 
2020, workers defied the dictatorship by threatening a general strike. 
The regime deployed exceptional repression against civil society, 
workers and their unions. Additionally, Lukashenko dragged Belarus into 
war by supporting another dictator, Putin, against the Ukrainian people. 
And it was the democratic workers' organization, the Belarusian Congress 
of Democratic Trade Unions, which expressed the firm anti-war position 
of Belarusian workers. The consequences were mass arrests and criminal 
charges against union leaders and women workers in April 2022. 
Furthermore, Belarus has become a country without unions since July 
2022, when all democratic unions were liquidated. The dictatorship in 
Belarus, where any activity is classified as extremism and terrorism, is 
experiencing limitless repression against civil society. (Salidarnast - 
Trans. International Union Network of Solidarity and Struggles.)

Argentina
The European member organizations of the International Trade Union 
Network of Solidarity and Struggles (RSISL), meeting in Milan from 
February 2 to 4, 2024, salute the struggle of the Argentine people and 
the determination of the trade union organizations which are organizing 
the response to Milei's reactionary government. This provides for 
economic measures, responding to orders from the International Monetary 
Fund: these political decisions lead to tragic consequences for the 
people, for the workers of this country.
It is in this context that the government also wants to restrict the 
democratic right to demonstrate. The government's initial text equates 
public demonstrations with crimes. He thus authorizes the security 
forces to repress any protest. It is in fact a kind of state of siege. 
Remember that the president, the vice-president and ministers of the new 
government have publicly denied the crimes of the military dictatorship 
which raged in Argentina from 1976 to 1983 (assassinations, torture and 
mass arrests, suppression of public freedoms, etc.)[excerpts]

Germany: after the end of the train strike, municipal public transport 
in turn mobilized
Employees operating buses, trams and metros have been called to stop 
work "in all regions except Bavaria" to demand better working conditions.

PERU: Macchu Pichu on strike!
Nearly 700 tourists were evacuated from Machu Picchu on Saturday January 
27 following a strike by residents against what they denounce as the 
"privatization" of the sale of entry tickets to the most visited Inca 
site in the world.
This "unlimited" strike movement was launched on January 25 to denounce 
a decision by the Ministry of Culture to use a private intermediary to 
manage online ticket sales. A local collective says the company, 
Joinnus, could benefit from up to $3.2 million per year in commissions 
thanks to the new system.
Many businesses lowered their curtains on January 25 and the railway 
operator Ferrocarril Transandino suspended its service to the site on 
January 26 due to the demonstrations.

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4119
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en