A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #348 - Seine-Saint-Denis, What we want is an emergency plan! (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Since February 26, a major social movement in education began in 
Seine-Saint-Denis. This is the fruit of mobilization work developed by 
the struggle unions which began in September 2023. ---- From September, 
strikes took place in several establishments in 93, in particular to 
protest against the ban of the abaya and staff shortages. An inter-union 
decided to come together to build a collective and unitary movement. The 
FSU, the CGT, the CNT and Sud Education have decided to launch a large 
collection of grievances to build a common demand intended to serve as a 
basis for mobilization. Following the model of the victorious 
mobilization of 1998, it was decided to once again demand an Emergency 
Plan for education in the 93.

A movement is being built...
A questionnaire made it possible to identify the lack of resources. It 
appears that the 93 needs 358 million euros and the hiring of 5,200 
teachers, the strengthening of medical and social centers by hiring 200 
nurses, doctors and social workers, 1,055 positions in school life and 
2,200 AESH. Concerning unsanitary premises (pest infestations in 30% of 
schools) and poorly insulated premises (70% of colleges), the 
inter-union is asking for another collective budget[1]for a major 
renovation and investment plan.

In Bagnolet, March 9, 2024.
Photo: Guillaume/UCL Montreuil
Everyone knows the catastrophic state of the public education system in 
93. However, this work concretely serves to build mobilization and gives 
it credibility. Union activists crisscrossed the department to 
popularize what was still only a campaign for an emergency plan. They 
organized tours and union information meetings, coordinated email 
campaigns, etc. On December 21, a press conference and a meeting were 
organized at the Departmental Labor Exchange in Bobigny to publicize the 
quantification of grievances and launch the mobilization, with the 
support of the CGT, the FSU and Solidaires.

In January and February, the painstaking work continued and the idea of 
not returning to school after the winter holidays emerged. The figures 
from the national strike of February 1 encouraged activists in this 
direction and the announcements of Gabriel Attal (reform of the clash of 
knowledge) then the declarations of the short-lived minister 
Oudéa-Castera on public schools stirred up the embers.

What if the 93 didn't make a comeback?
In fact, the back-to-school strike on February 26 was a success with 60% 
of strikers on average in the 2nd degree. Many establishments have voted 
for renewal, AGMs take place in several towns in the department, 
sometimes in places where little is happening (in Aulnay-sous-Bois for 
example). Furthermore, following a gathering of 700 people next to the 
Lycée Stanislas in Paris, a departmental general assembly (GA) brought 
together 150 teachers who voted to renew the strike for the next day.

On February 27, the rally in front of the departmental directorate of 
national education was a success, as was the departmental AG. From that 
moment on, the AG and the inter-union continued to call for a renewable 
strike and its massification. This was the case on March 7 with an 
increase in the number of strikers (60% in middle and high schools and 
45% in schools) and the number of people in demonstrations (several 
thousand) and in general meetings. Little by little, the movement 
brought together parents of students who organized evening gatherings or 
Saturday demonstrations in the main cities of the 93.

In Bagnolet, March 9, 2024
Photo: Guillaume/UCL Montreuil
On Thursday March 14, processions flocked from 8 starting points in the 
department to converge 5,000 towards the prefecture. Unheard of for 
several decades! The next day, it was the parents who organized a 
"deserted schools, middle and high schools" operation throughout the 
department.

The movement seems likely to last, with its organization in AGs 
respectful of the mandates of establishments and cities which 
systematically meet upstream of departmental AGs, holding firm to the 
course of local demands for an emergency plan of 93 articulated with 
demands against the "shock of knowledge" reforms.

The revolting situation and the youth of a significant part of the staff 
give impetus to the mobilization, but it is not equal throughout the 
department. The renewable strike is in fact mostly closed. This is also 
what allows the mobilization to last for 3 weeks at the time this 
article is written. Part of its success is also due to the fact that it 
is concrete and speaks to workers as well as users. However, the march 
is high: the victories of 1998 and 2015 were achieved under social 
democratic governments. Faced with the right which refuses to give in to 
social mobilizations, we will have to amplify the balance of power.

In Bagnolet, March 9, 2024
Photo: Guillaume/UCL Montreuil
The assumed failure of public education
Despite the scale of the mobilization, the support of the FCPE and that 
of NUPES elected officials, the response from the hierarchical 
authorities is non-existent and contemptuous. Thus, neither the 
departmental director, nor the rector, nor even the ministerial cabinet 
(which received the inter-union vote on March 15) want to give up 
anything: not the slightest million, nor even a release of positions. 
When we know that the SNU and wearing the uniform would cost more than 4 
billion euros, we come to grips with the reality of the political 
choices made by the government. There is also a lot of public money in 
the coffers of private establishments, more than 70% of which are 
financed by the State.

" Money for public school !" Bad luck for the 93 !» is one of the most 
chanted slogans of this movement. If the renewal of the strike announced 
after March 19 takes root and grows, we can expect a very hot spring in 
93 and perhaps everywhere else in France in national education!

Libertarian communist teachers from 93

In Bagnolet, March 9, 2024
Photo: Guillaume/UCL Montreuil

In Bagnolet, March 9, 2024
Photo: Guillaume/UCL Montreuil

To validate

[1]Additional resources from the state budget.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Nous-c-qu-on-veut-c-est-un-plan-d-urgence
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