France: Workers Fight GM Attacks

STRASBOURG, FRANCE, July 7 — Exploiting the give-backs agreed to by the unions last year has spurred GM to further attack the workers at its plant here. This has sparked fierce resistance by the workers. The company claims union secretary and shop steward Roland Robert’s deafness makes him unable to perform work and wants to transfer him to a job over 800 yards away from the factory. But the independent occupational physician assigned to the plant says many jobs exist inside the plant which he could hold down.

In less than two days, 503 fellow workers signed a petition protesting GM’s attack. Yesterday evening, over 100 union reps attended a support meeting. The four trade unions at the plant jointly condemned “management’s maneuvers to isolate…Roland Robert from the shops.”

The Strasbourg GM workers are asking workers everywhere to send support messages to: CGT General Motors, 81 rue de la Rochelle, 67100 Strasbourg France.

GM’s aim is clear: to isolate a union leader, silence worker grievances and weaken the unions at a time when the company continues to envisage closing the plant. More broadly, GM is attacking union rights won through generations of struggle, but that’s the way capitalism works — the bosses, through their control of production and the state, eventually wipe out reforms won by workers’ past battles.

A continuing struggle against last year’s give-back agreement is the background for the enormous pressure on the workers to realize the company’s business plan. The company is pushing for 198 workers to take “voluntary retirement.” The 60 temporary workers in the plant are a constant reminder that nobody’s job is safe.

GM’s Strasbourg plant employs 1,040 workers who produce 270,000 gearboxes a year, half for GM and half for BMW. The average gross monthly wage is 1,800 euros (US$ 2,500).

On March 28, part of the GM workforce here struck against those working conditions and against the July 20, 2010 give-back agreement that resulted in the current wage freeze and abolition of the 35-hour week. (See CHALLENGE, Sept. 8, 2010) The strike was backed by the CGT union but opposed by the sellout CFDT trade union, which includes the majority of workers. The strike ended on March 31 with the CGT saying that “through our strike we have won…a written promise from management on an improvement in working conditions.” But that 2010 agreement on a wage freeze and ending the 35-hour week remains in force and GM’s “promises” are worthless.

GM’s attack on its workers here is one more proof that as long as bosses and their system with its drive for profits exists, workers will always be under the gun. Only a communist society run by and for the workers can end this exploitation.