Appeal from the Tours meeting of 6th November


On November 6th, mandated delegates or observers from 25 local cross-industry General Assemblies, General Assemblies from particular disputes, joint union committees open to non-unionized workers, struggle collectives, inter-sector coordinations met in Tours. They came from Laval, Le Havre, Angers, Béziers, Saint Etienne, Roanne, Chambéry, Nantes, Angoulême, Cognac, Bayonne, Chinon, Nimes, Tours, Saint Denis, Rouen, Champigny, Paris-East, Paris Centre, Paris 5th, 13th and 20th districts, Vannes, Lille, Grenoble and Nancy. Aubenas, Agen, Brest, Rennes, Montpellier and Sarlat sent apologies.

Workers from the public and private sectors, unemployed people, pensioners, and high school and university students have been massively protesting, striking, demonstrating, and blockading streets, motorways or petrol stations, for the withdrawal of the so-called “pension reform”, with the support of the majority of the French population. To these protests the government has only responded with contempt, disinformation, repression, violation of the right to strike, and now it has decided to try to impose a fait accompli.

The fight against the “pension reform” is at a crucial point. While the government and media are announcing the end of the mobilization, blockades and solidarity actions are still going on across the country, and demonstrations are still massive. This law must be repealed. We refuse to bury the movement after the passing of the law.

The strategy of the joint union committee at national level has led to a failure. But we are not going to give up: we are committed to continue the fight. In many towns, those who struggle, members of different unions and non-unionized workers too, have met in General Assemblies and collectives in order to discuss and act together: to inform, to support the sectors which are struggling, to extend the strikes, and to organize blockades. We want this process of self-organization and joint action to be sustained, amplified and coordinated.

This movement is part of a broader struggle to stop the offensive of the government and the bosses, who are preparing new attacks, especially on health insurance. The only way to win is to blockade the economy and organize a general strike.
We call for a common front against the increasing brutal repression used against the social movements.
We have held this national meeting to start discussing, coordinating and carrying out joint actions.
We call all those in struggle to organize general assemblies, if they have not already done so in their localities.

We call on all local cross-industry General Assemblies, General Assemblies from particular disputes, joint union committees open to non-unionized workers etc., to attend the next national meeting in Nantes on Saturday, November 27, 2010, and send mandated delegates.

We invite all trade unions to send observers.

We call for the following actions, in order to reinforce those which are already taking place daily:
- A symbolic action on November 11th at 11 am for the repeal of the law and as an homage to all those who die at work before having the possibility of retiring ;
- A day of economic blockade on November 15th, with international support;
- A symbolic burning of the text of the law on the day of its promulgation.


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