HUNDREDS of people gathered in Paris last weekend at a conference organised by United Action against Unemployment to take forward the growing campaign for a 35-hour week with no loss of pay.
As the conference took place a five-prong march against unemployment was continuing to Paris, in preparation for the central Paris demonstration on 29 May in which tens of thousands of people are expected to take part.
At the conference the organisers announced that 54,000 signatures from trade unionists have now been gathered in support of the 35-hour week, no loss of pay, proposal. Each of the main trade union federations, the CGT, CFDT and Force Ouvriere was represented on the platform.
Discussion at the conference reflected concern at the lack of campaigning against flexible hours of work which is being rapidly introduced.
Conference organisers argued that while this could become a theme of the campaign, the central issue of work sharing with no loss of pay should not be dropped.
One negative feature was the explanation by a speaker from Air France that the victory won by the workers last autumn was turning into defeat.
While management had temporarily withdrawn their restructuring plan, union officials have become disunited over management's tactics of approaching workers individually.
The conference heard that the only other country in which the 35-week campaign had started in earnest was Spain and a resolution was passed calling for the launching of a Europe-wide campaign.
The day after the conference about 20,000 people demonstrated on the May Day demonstration organised by the CGT federation.
While in other parts of the country a big step forward was taken by holding united may day demonstrations, in Paris the two main federations, the CGT and CFDT could not agree a joint celebration of international workers day, and no CFDT banners were to be seen.
Given that Communist Party members marched behind CGT banners, the largest contingent of any political organisation was that of the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire, the French section of the Fourth International. MARCHI IATIONALI CONTRE LE CHÔMAGE ET L'EXCLUSION AVRIL-MAI