(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL - Unionists and anarchists, There 40 years: the great strike of PTT (fr, pt)

 [machine translation]

The year 1974 was marked by protest movements in the services sectors. Successively in the 
banks, PTT, more modestly to the SNCF, these strikes are going to blow a breeze of 
creativity and self-organization directly related to the force projection of May 68. But 
it is the strike of PTT by its ability to think the normal running of the company, which 
will be the centerpiece of this financial year. ---- Unionists and anarchists, a history 
of UTCL (1974-1991) Theo Rival ---- Strike in the fall of 1974 PTT is probably one of the 
most important in the social history of this professional sector. Started in sorting 
centers, it extends to all postal services but also telecommunications (then together in a 
single public service, PTT). It takes its place in the glow of 68 years, this decade of 
working insubordination (1) and all-round challenge, the bell will ring with the defeat of 
the Lorraine steel industry in 1979 (2) and, in the process, the coming to power of the PS 
Mitterrand in 1981. But six years after 1968, and there are many many employee-es who are 
still convinced that "everything depends on the fight." This is the time when the various 
far-left organizations distinguish the emergence of a radical pole among workers. The 
Communist League speaks for example of "broad proletarian vanguard" of anarchist militants 
Revolutionary Organization (ORA) "left working."

Prelude: the bank strike

LIP strike demonstrated (3) the existence of a substantial fraction of the proletariat 
radicalized in 68 years is not a leftist fad: not absolutely confine these categories, 
younger workers, workers, immigrant-es upset the traditional balance. And even in the 
service sector, especially in this year 1974. In the banks, the strike starts in February. 
It takes four to nine weeks in those affiliated with the Professional Association of Banks 
(APB) or the Chambre Syndicale des Banques Populaires, two weeks at the Banque de France. 
On wages and working conditions, conflict is particularly strong at Credit Lyonnais and 
BNP. The movement culminated on March 28 with a national rally of 50,000 bank employees 
marching in the PDB at the Ministry of Finance. But it is mainly by means of action 
implemented the bank strike in February, March and April 1974 stands out. She won the 
qualifier of "May the banks."

Authors of a collective work published in October 1974, the leaders of the CFDT sector 
devote a chapter to the "modes of action" (4). They make a statement: "For the stock 
commonly practiced in the industry, such as occupations, joined with the imaginative 
spirit of 1968 and EA 1973, other forms of newer fight." The first modality put forward is 
that the democratization of the action. If the authors welcome the daily general meetings, 
they consider that the establishment of strike committees at Credit Lyonnais and BNP 
Paris, have "helped [...], by increasing the militants who are revealed, the extension of 
the movement. " The c?d?tistes officials are not however without reservations, because it 
is still necessary that the said strike committees have been "democratically elected" or 
that "their attitude was not blocked by anti-union irrelevant." The formation of strike 
committees is then debate within teams and among many union workers radicalized. It is a 
real "workhorse" for CFDT leftists. 36th Congress of the CFDT confederation of Nantes (May 
30-June 3, 1973), activists of the Communist League are twenty delegated by their union 
structures. They and they defend an amendment in favor of strike committees which gets 15% 
of the vote (5). Behind this question of strike committees, it is the more comprehensive, 
self-organization and the leadership of the struggle by the workers themselves being 
asked. Libertarians are not left who constantly hammer the centrality of "the general 
meeting of all workers (unionized or non-unionized)" recalling that "social self through 
self-management struggles" (6) . After the banks, the strike will be a new PTT 
self-organizing experience.

Radical and creative: the strike strikers!

If the banks, the movement died in April, in October, La Poste, a long strike starts. 
Party October 17 the sorting of Lyon Station, it is in this type of facility that the 
strike, which will extend until December 2, will be followed with more intensity. On 
October 23, the first demonstration in the streets of Paris has nearly 10,000 strikers. On 
November 15, a month after the start of hostilities, 91% of personal sorting centers are 
still on strike (7). The motion shall include the issue of staffing. In the sorting of the 
Paris region, the number of auxiliary precarious personal, increased by 50% in ten years, 
from 1965 to 1974. In the early 1970s, it is almost 20-25% of the Parisian staff sorting 
center that is ancillary. The sorting of Paris-Brune include such aids on 1460 380 postal 
workers. This is the case militants ORA group established in this sorting. Easily 
licensable, auxiliaries are paid less than the incumbents for the same work. Movement 1974 
will claim their massive tenure.

In this central claim there are others, more conventional, higher wages and improved 
working conditions. The entry of personnel t?l?comunicants in action is also linked to the 
fear of dismantling PTT, with the scenario of a session of the US telecom industry trust 
ITT (8). Finally, do not overlook the latent dispute inherited from May 68, the hierarchy 
of the PTT, which echo the lyrics of the strikers that the CFDT federation PTT publish in 
the 45s to end of the movement: "It is framed in difficulty / On our record, we must 
strive / We're tied, no right to speak / And we must beg to go pee." The blunder of the 
Secretary of State for PTT Pierre Lelong, who, on October 22, has quietly found on the 
airwaves that work in sorting centers is among "the most idiots" who are only accentuates 
the desire for battle. Intense work of popularization is supported by the strikers 
themselves and the postal strike is characterized by a real creative explosion with 
comics, songs, theatrical interventions ... (9). The negotiations at the national level 
between union leaders and government, rife but the general assemblies of strikers are 
attentive, the debate and vote daily further movement.

"For the PTT as elsewhere: the power workers'

Despite the introduction of parallel sorting, mail flow almost: piles of mail bags piled 
up in sorting centers will strike a strong images of a strike (10). But we must reckon 
with a newly installed power Giscardian - since May - and unwilling to yield. The strikers 
then wait a postal relay peers railway. Parties on November 4, outbreaks of railwaymen 
strike off the 11 action focusing on the inter-day strike "square", that is to say, 
limited to twenty-four hours of 19 November, called by the CGT and CFDT. Railwaymen, who 
lived a qualified "June leftist 'strike in 1971, not ?pauleront postal workers in a 
face-to-face with the power (11). On November 21, the CGT and CFDT union leaders call for 
resumption of work to PTT to "continue the fight in other ways" ... that will not strike. 
On December 2, the recovery is general.

But these 45 days are an opportunity to strike a significant radicalization of the 
struggle, inventiveness and creativity in the strike that hits the mind. Beyond that, the 
historian Bruno Mahouche also believes that with the 1974 strikes in services, "the labor 
movement during the war boom, was not limited to the industrial sector." He added that "to 
oppose the employer domination via social struggles, he could count on a few strongholds, 
such as sorting, which can be assumed to constitute a strategic issue for the unions." 
This is a view shared by the leftists PTT issue, including those of the ORA, which will 
bathe in this movement like fish in water (12).

In January 1974, activists and activists ORA PTT have developed a flexible structure of 
corporate groups publishing a newsletter, The Postman freed. In the center of 
Inter-Archives, the largest telecom operators and operators of Paris center, the ORA group 
regularly publishes The way r'tour, local supplement Postman freed. Same thing at the 
sorting of Paris-Brune, nicknamed "the PTT Billancourt", where seems Break. In December, 
libertarian communists PTT holding back on their response they have "tested an 
organizational formula that has proven successful." The Postman prepaid coordination of 
libertarian communist groups of companies, including the majority located sorting centers 
in Paris, but also telecom, postal checks and province, was able to provide, week after 
week, concrete proposals and criticisms "13. To contribute to the popularization of the 
fight and go to the strikers, the prepaid Postman meeting held at 33 rue des Vignoles 
November 7. During the strike, activists ORA support self-organization and extension of 
the action. They and they support the unitary platform: 1700 minimum francs, 200 francs 
for all; tenure auxiliaries; increase in enrollment; improvement of working conditions. 
But Postman prepaid groups are also developing strategic proposals to support the 
self-organization: national march on Paris; occupancy; creation of collective solidarity 
postal-users; direct and horizontal linkages general meetings of strikers 14. What course 
do not bear the CGT and CFDT union leaders. While the strike is waning, lower rates still 
reflects the fighting spirit of postmen. The administration of PTT response by the 
dismissal of many assistants, especially those who have distinguished themselves during 
the strike: the case of the secretary of the CFDT section of the sorting station of the 
East, otherwise ORA activist.

Gather the left working

Libertarian Front in December 1974 postmen ORA devoted a long article balance to strike. 
Referring to the different animation committees, they believe that they have proved the 
existence of a "new wave, left reformism, consisting of young workers most often 
unorganized [...] seriously disturbing devices. "It is in these committees' spontaneous 
responses to the needs of the struggle," what the exemplary nature of the strike. Yet the 
centrality of trade unionism, the authors of this article can not evacuate, considering 
the "significant adaptability of the union bureaucracies needs based" strike back but 
noting that despite the "obvious failure" of these bureaucracies, "for general problems as 
for local problems [...] workers maintain and retain full confidence in their" 
representatives "." The article concluded by the need for a revolutionary work "both in 
and outside union locals" playing all the potentialities of the period: both speak to the 
radicalized fringe in action and seize the union tool to not let the reformists and 
bureaucrats. A strategy based on the development of power-cons and based on practical 
experience of the strike action.

1. Xavier Vigna, The Insubordination working in the 68 years of political history test 
factories, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2007
2. See "In 1979: The People's Republic of Longwy" Libertarian Alternative No. 182, March 2009.
3. "1973: Lip Lip Lip Hooray! "Alternative libertarian No. 229, June 2013
4. B?got Georges, Alain Delangre, Antoinette Langlois, The "May" banks, Syros, 1974
5. Jean-Paul Salles, Revolutionary Communist League (1968-1981), Grand Soir instrument or 
learning venue, Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 2006
6. The Postman freed, "Journal of Libertarian workers PTT", No. 1, January 1974
7. Bruno Mahouche, "The Origins of the strike PTT fall 1974," Journal of the IRES 51, 2006
8. LCR, Red Phone number "special dismantling PTT," December 1974, available on Asmsfqi.org
9. Fran?ois Maspero, CFDT-PTT, Idiots thousands. Dismantling PTT strike 1974, 1975
10. Vincent Bouget, Strike PTT autumn 1974 and the media, the Committee on the History of 
Post 2003
11. Christian Chevandier, Railway strike or the construction of identity (1848-2001), 
Maisonneuve & Larose, 2002
12. Theo Rival Unionists and libertarians, a history of UTCL (1974-1991) editions AL, 2013
13. "Order reigns PTT" libertarian Front of class struggles No. 37, December 1974
14. "What to do? "Postman tract free from December 1974

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