A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #370 - Trade Unionism - Trade Union Congress: The Stakes of the 54th CGT Congress (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The next CGT congress will take place in Tours during the first week of 
June. It is expected to be much calmer than the previous congress. The 
reports and policy guidelines submitted to the unions and delegates will 
likely be widely adopted. The leadership duo of Sophie Binet and Laurent 
Brun should be re-elected without much difficulty. Debates may arise 
with the post-Stalinist wing (regarding the World Federation of Trade 
Unions, WFTU) and some battles may erupt over minor amendments. The 
balance of power between the federation and departmental unions in the 
composition of the union's decision-making and executive bodies will 
remain to be deciphered.

The activity reports and financial statements prevent excessive 
self-satisfaction and offer a clear-eyed look at the CGT's weaknesses. 
These include a weak presence, particularly in SMEs, which has resulted 
in the inability to launch a general strike indefinitely in 2023; 
Difficulties in enforcing the statutory 1% membership fee; only 25% of 
elected members of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) trained 
internally by the CGT; difficulties in retaining new members due to a 
lack of suitable structures for their integration.

The failure to get each union to hold its congress between the two 
confederation congresses speaks volumes about the absence of democratic 
life. It also reveals the state of company unions, whose reality is 
often equivalent to that of a single, isolated member. The proposal to 
move towards territorial professional unions for isolated members marks 
progress, but limited to the role of a "nursery" for future company 
unions, we are still far from the goal[1].

One year before the next presidential elections, this Congress will have 
particular significance in the coming months.

Wikimedia/Wyslijp16
Ecological and Social Alliance
On a more political level, the recurring use of the term "environmental" 
in the subheadings of documents cannot mask a very weak record on 
ecological issues. By leaving "Never Again - Ecological and Social 
Alliance (AES)," the CGT claimed to be able to do environmental work 
without the expertise of environmental organizations. Conversely, 
without the CGT's strength, the AES is hardly viable.

While several departmental unions are still involved, the 
confederation's return to this Alliance may be one of the debates at the 
congress... if the unions raise the question. Amendments can be 
submitted until May 6.

On the Unification of Trade Unionism
Following the same logic of withdrawal, the proposal by the previous 
leadership of the CGT (Philippe Martinez) to initiate a unification 
process with Solidaires and the FSU was amended by the 53rd congress to 
exclude Solidaires from the process. The FSU remains, with whom a 
process has been launched, with the prospect of a "common home" without 
unification of structures[2].

This process is positive; concrete progress can be noted: joint training 
programs, working meetings in local areas and not just at the national 
level. One might therefore hope that this "common home" is only a first 
step towards a real unification of militant trade unionism. But the 
document immediately clarifies: "This is neither a merger nor the 
creation of a decision-making superstructure." And it defers the 
(possible) validation of this "common home" to the next congress.

The 54th CGT Congress will take place in Tours from June 1st to 5th, 
2026. The "struggle and social transformation" unions, and not just the 
CGT, are clearly not up to the challenges of our time. Between 1934 and 
1936, the CGT and the CGTU put aside their differences in the face of 
the fascist threat. Their successful reunification made the 1936 strikes 
possible. The conservatism of the local unions must be challenged. 
Maintaining this fragmentation of the organized proletariat in the 
current situation is unacceptable.

Double duty
Yet, mobilization against the far right is clearly reaffirmed as a 
priority, with the reminder of the expulsion of any CGT official who 
supports fascist policies. But this mobilization is reduced to training 
union members and propaganda. The rest of the initiative is delegated to 
the political parties during elections. As the preparatory document 
reminds us, reaffirming independence from these parties does not equate 
to neutrality. Very well. And, in this urgent situation, calling on 
workers to vote to eliminate the danger of a far-right victory is 
essential to the unity of our social movement.

But essentially, the CGT sees itself only as a tool for exerting 
pressure on the political parties to which it delegates the task of 
social transformation-a rather vague and lackluster term, to say the 
least. We are therefore very far from the revolutionary ambitions of the 
Charter of Amiens! The true dual task of the union is, in fact, the 
defense of everyday interests and, at the same time, the preparation for 
the expropriating general strike. There is still a long way to go to put 
the CGT back on the path to revolution. But for the proletariat, what 
other path is there?

Revolutionary union members of the CGT

In no particular order
Due to space constraints, let's mention a few more debates. The 
unionization of students, reserved for student-workers who already 
have... employee unions? The two-state solution in Palestine when it 
seems increasingly unlikely? The demand for a sovereign AI that blocks 
any debate on AI itself? A union training program that needs to be 
"readjusted," but without specifying in what way? A priority given to 
unionizing engineers, managers, technicians, and supervisors (ICTAM) in 
CAC 40 companies for disruptive strikes, while simultaneously explaining 
that the CAC 40 thrives on outsourcing productive activity? And one 
regret: out of 82 candidates for the CEC (Central Executive Committee), 
only 25 are blue-collar or white-collar workers.

Submit

[1]See also "Structuring the CGT: The Example of the Parisian General 
Book Union," Alternative libertaire no. 369, March 2026.

[2]See also "Union Unification: The Foundations of the Common Home," 
Alternative libertaire no. 356, January 2025.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Congres-syndical-Les-enjeux-du-54e-congres-de-la-CGT
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