(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #242 - Act of March 5, 2014: Stream "social democracy" neither Democrat nor social (fr, pt)

(machine translation]

The Act of March 5, 2014, includes a chapter on "social democracy" that bears his name 
wrong. Claiming to reform the financing of trade unions, it actually maintains the 
stranglehold of large confederations and is likely to help remove small unions, especially 
in difficult situations to small structures, such as local unions. ---- To believe its 
title, the Act of March 5, 2014 deal of vocational training, employment and social 
democracy. On the first point, no progress, quite the contrary; employment can not be 
improved through government measures serving MEDEF; What about Chapter abusively "Social 
Democracy", which essentially deals with the financing of trade union and employers' 
organizations? ---- Monopoly five confederations ---- This law flattens the current 
organization, but taking care not to touch what is done in the public service. For over 
forty years, five trade union confederations have a monopoly on discussions with business 
and government; Overall, the "social partners" have shown some inventiveness to confiscate 
substantial public funding. To a lesser extent, management has partially hand to the 
pocket too: the more easily that the bag in question is that of the working people who 
create the wealth stolen by the shareholders! Worse, the "gender mainstreaming" and funded 
equally treats the unions representing millions of wage-es and a few thousand shareholders 
and owners: 50% for one, 50% for others! Money, there... in the union offices! More than 
100 million of public money each year (for what is paid at the national level). Some 
examples of these public subsidization of CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC and CGC for years:

- The National Fund for joint management of vocational training (Fongefor) through 0.75% 
of collection agencies accredited joint collectors (OPCA) represents more than 15 million 
each year.

? each year, the OPCA directly distribute approximately 35 million others.

- The subsidy for trade union education represents 23 million per year. Sharing is there 
at six, Unsa benefiting too.

- The same fall by EUR 8 million to train industrial tribunals.

- Nearly 20 million from participation in various joint bodies (social security funds, 
unemployment insurance, supplementary pensions, "1% logement"...).

Reduce the number of unions

This allows the government to profoundly change the rules, without these unions are crying 
foul, nor even make too much advertising on what is negotiated since last March in the 
High Council of the social dialogue! For the future of the trade union bureaucracies, the 
key is that the distributions are not challenged. Government and employers agree on that 
because that is not their goal. Indeed, until now, the compensation of employee-es granted 
leave from economic, social or union training was guaranteed by the employer; Certainly, 
within 0.08% of the amount of wages paid in the year and only for companies with more than 
10 people, which is outrageous.

But now, 10 million will be put into a common pot, split between trade unions CGT, CFDT, 
FO, CFTC, CGC, UNSA and Solidarity who will manage themselves these indemnifications. In 
continuation of the CGT / CFDT / MEDEF 2008 agreement, the objective is to reduce the 
number of trade unions, the right to education is being questioned by example for 
unionized workers CNT-SO, or UGTG STC... The money will be allocated only to 
confederations that will decide the allocation between federations and unions departmental 
or local. "Standardization" The internal over 100 million annually that we mentioned above 
will now be awarded through a mutual fund, but still inter-national organizations 
dedicated structure. Some union leaders could not be a better tool for internal 
"normalization"!

For years, the CGT confederation led a battle to impose a more vertical operation, based 
on the model established by the CFDT there thirty years. This institutionalized and 
centralized financial allocation will strengthen the drift. Local unions in particular are 
likely to be asphyxiated, while some professional bodies have to be more conciliatory to 
keep their autonomy in trade union education. The side of the union Solidarity trade 
union, certainly less affected by the financial windfall, the stake will be to manage 
these new tasks at the national level without weakening federalism... And it will not be easy.

Christian (AL Transcom)