[Onthebarricades] Fwd: FRANCE: Various socialist reports on the unrest

[Andy]

37 French Universities on Strike 
First posted 16 November. Student Movement overview (LCR website translation): 37 Universities wholly or partially on strike, with pickets: Paris I (Tolbiac), Sorbonne Paris IV, Paris III, Paris VIII Saint-Denis, Paris X Nanterre, Paris XIII Villetaneuse, Rouen, Tours...
... Caen, Nantes, Rennes II, Rennes I, Toulouse II le Mirail, Toulouse III Rangeuil, Pau, Perpignan, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon II, Montpellier II, Montpellier III, Lille III, Lille I, Limoges, Brest, Le Havre, Bordeaux II, Bordeaux III, Amiens, Angers, Besancon, Metz, Nancy II, La Rochelle, Dijon, Grenoble III, Orléans.
SNESUP (majority union of university researchers) is calling, from the 16th of November, for general assemblies of research staff to be held to vote on strike action.
Paris Region
Tolbiac Paris I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: The centre has been on strike (with pickets) since Tuesday 30th October. Since this date, the director of Paris I has made numerous attempts at repression ( with the unanimous support of the directors of the law faculty, who are declaring their "total solidarity" with the director): administrative closures (from 2nd Nov to 6th Nov, 8th Nov and 10th Nov); police intervention (at 10PM on Weds. 7th Nov), and misleading email communiqués. Despite the administrative closure, strikers managed to get in on monday the 5th of november. On Wednesday 7th of November, an assembly of 1,300 students voted again to strike, by a large majority, and voted to occupy. On Friday the 9th of November, a new assembly elected 5 delegates to attend the national co-ordination (from the unions FSE and SUD and one non-union representative). The director decided to organise an electronic referendum (!) from Tuesday 13th to Thursday the 15th of November. On the Tuesday 13th, an assembly of 1,300 students voted to continue the strike and the blockade with a crushing majority, until Tuesday the 20th of November. Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th saw administrative closures.
Sorbonne: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 6th November, an assembly of at least 300 students voted to strike with pickets with an easy majority. The vote to occupy was split exactly 50%-50%. More than 100 students occupied the Sorbonne, until a police intervention at 10PM. No delegates were voted to go to the national co-ordination, as there were no general assemblies between the 6th and the 13th. On 8th of November, a "manifestation sauvage" [a roving crowd of demonstrators, with no police permission and no set route] of around 1000 came to the Sorbonne. 50 got into the university despite a police cordon, before being thrown out. Thereafter, the demo blockaded the train tracks at the Gare du Nord for 90 minutes. At the general assembly on the 13th of November, more than 400 students voted for a strike, with blockade and occupation, effective from the 14th of November. Further general assembly on the 15th. The situation is tense; plainclothes police are hovering around.
Censier Paris III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of around 700 students voted to strike and blockade. Another general assembly was held on the 15th.
Clignancourt Paris IV: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of around 120 votes for strike and blockade - unanimous but for 4 votes. The next day, an assembly of 400 votes to continue the strike with a slim majority (187 to 165). Monday 12th November, a general assembly of more than 600 students voted to lift the blockade (won by 10 votes). Another general assembly is being held today (Friday 16th November) to discuss the blockade.
Malesherbes Paris IV: Wednesday 7th November, General Assembly of 70. Election of an observer for the national co-ordination (from the FSE). Tuesday the 13th of November, general assembly of around 500 students; strike with blockade rejected by 12 votes.
Paris VI Jussieu: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of around 300 students (and about 20 staff) voted to put in place a "barrage filtrant" on monday the 12th of November [a barrage filtrant: lit. "flitering blockade", being where activists block all but one or two entrances to the building, so that all staff and students are obliged to pass by an information point where tracts are handed out].
Paris VII (left bank ): Thursday 8th November, assembly of around 300 students. Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of more than 500 students vote for strike with blockade starting from monday the 19th of November.
Paris VIII Saint-Denis: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 500 people. Wednesday 7th of November, general assembly of 400 people. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 800-1000 people votes for strike, blockade and occupation. Tuesday 13th November, an assembly of 500 votes to continue the strike.
Nanterre Paris X: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of 800-1000 students vote to strike with picketing (615 for, 199 against) and occupation. Friday 9th November, buildings A, B, C, D, E, and L are blockaded. Strike pickets and "barrages filtrants" put up in buildings F (law) [n.b. law and econocmics faculties are normally the most anti-strike] and G (economics). On Monday 12th November, the forces of order penetrate the campus, temporarily break the picket lines and gas students; general assembly of 1,500 voted to continue the blockade. Tuesday 13th November, blockade of the entire campus; at 10PM, the CRS use batons to dislodge the students blockading the law faculty. Law students at STAPS vote to strike.
Créteil Paris XII: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 200 people vote for the the repeal of the Pécresse Law (the motion was taken to the Administrative Council [elected staff body which governs the uni alongside the director. Administrative Councils, or CAs are threatened by the LRU, which aims to undermine them.]). Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly puts in place "barrages filtrants".
Villetaneuse Paris XIII: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Assembly Wednesday 7th November (election of two delegates to the national co-ordination). Tuesday 13th November, an assembly of more than 300 voted to strike, blockade and occupy (the UNEF leadership declared itself against the strike) by 205 votes to 83.
Evry: Monday 12th November, general assembly of 300 students voted to strike. Another assembly was held yesterday.
Cergy Pontoise: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 200 students voted to strike
Marne La Vallée: Thursda y 8th November, general assembly of 200 people.
Western Northwest Region:
Rouen: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: on strike with blockade since the 25th of October (faculty of letters and psychology), general assemblies of 1000 people monday 29th and tuesday 30th of October. Monday 5th November, general assembly of 2000 students voted to continue the strike and blockade, and voted almost unanimously to adopt the following motion: "We call upon the higher education union leaderships to join the mobilisation and call immediately for strike s." Wednesday 7th of November, the blockade was extended to the science faculty. Thursday 8th November, 700 students (500 according to police) demonstrated. Monday 12th November, sport science students joined the movement and voted to blockade. Assembly of 1,200 people in letters, humanities, psychology, and sociology voted to continue the strike with blockade.
Tours: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE 6th November, assembly of 800 students vote for strike and blockade. 8th November, general assembly continues the blockade and votes in delegates got the national co-ordination. Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly of 1,500 students voted to continue the strike with blockade until 21st November. Tuesday 13th November, two students are arrested by the undercover police [the BAC, or Brigades Anti-Criminalité, a particularly brutal plainclothes riot squad, not an 'intelligence' operation like UK plainclothes police]. The local SNESUP branch has called a strike for the 16th of November [today].
Caen: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of around 400 students voted for strike with blockade in the literature building. Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of around 600-700 people blockaded the literature buildings and the science faculty. Demonstration of around 500 people on Thursday 8th November. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of around 1,500 students voted to reconduct the strike with a blockade. More than 1,000 students have gone to demonstrate in the city.
Nantes: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday the 7th of November, general assembly of 700 people votes for strike with blockade. Blockade in literature and human sciences of 200 students. Thursday the 8th of November, general assembly of 1,800 students votes to continue the strike (around 1,200 for, 600 against) and the occupation. Demonstration of around 700 students. Occupation of the university on Thursday the 8th of November. Following the general assembly on tuesday the 13th, the blockade of literature and human sciences was continued. Following the general assembly on the 14th of November, the blockade was extended into the law faculty. Read about it on http://mouvement.etudiant.nantais.over-blog.fr/
Rennes II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly of 800 students voted to strike with blockade. Wednesday 7th November, a general assembly of at lesat 2,000 students voted to continue the blockade. Thursday the 8th November, demonstration of around 3,000 students in the streets of Rennes. Blockade of the railway lines for 2 hours. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 2000 students votes to continue the blockade until the repeal of the Pécresse Law. Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th November, administrative closure of the uni following an (illegitimate) referendum organised by the president and sanctioned by UNEF. Wednesday 14th of November, a general assembly of staff shamefully gave its support to the director of Rennes II (who compares strikers to "terrorists"), thus opening the way for police intervention on Thursday 15th November at 2AM. Students were arrested.
Brest: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people votes to strike without blockade. Monday the 12th November, general assembly of more than 500 people votes to strike with blockade.
Le Havre: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 1,000 people votes in a strike with a slim (510/476) majority. Blockade rejected (361 for, 476 against). Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly of over 1,000 people votes for strike with blockade (586 for, 475 against). Another general assembly was held yesterday.
Rennes I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people votes to strike without blockade. Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of 500 students votes for strike with blockade.
Lorient: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 150, "barrage filtrant" put in place the next day.
Poitier: Monday 12th November, general assembly of several hundred students.
Angers: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, a general assembly of 900 students in literature votes for strike with blockade (470 for, 261 against). General assembly of students in sciences took place yesterday.
Le Mans: general assembly took place yesterday.
La Rochelle: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th November, 400 students from the faculty of letters voted to strike with blockade.
Orléans: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th October, General Assembly of 250. Wednesday 14th of November, general assembly of 400 students voted for strike with blockade of the literature faculty.
SOUTH WEST
Toulouse le Mirail: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, 1,500 students decided to maintain the blockade (and noted the launch of an anti-blockade email petition by reactionary groups), which was put in place the next morning. Thursday 8th of November, general assembly of 2,000 students continued the blockade. At least 2,000 students from 3 universities in Toulouse demonstratied. Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 1,300 students voted to continue the blockade until tuesday the 20th of November. Furthermore a general assembly of 200 staff voted to go on strike!
Toulouse I (Arsenal): Thursday 8th November, general assembly of between 250-300 students. Two delegates sent to the National Co-ordination (from FSE and the left-faction of UNEF, the TUUD). Tuesday the 13th of November, the assembly voted to strike without blockade.
Toulouse Rangueil: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of around 80 students. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of 600 students voted to strike with blockade.
Pau: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 400 people vote to strike. Thursday the 8th of November, a general assembly of 1600 people voted to strike (1,129 for, 295 against, 33 abstentions) and to blockade (1,009 for, 591 against, 20 abstentions). Friday 9th November, demonstration of around 200 students. Direct action against a motorway toll booth. Monday 12th November, students voted 1,242 to 1,023 to contiue the blockade until friday the 16th of novemeber.
Perpignan: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: General assembly Wednesday 31st of October of 200 students. Assembly voted to strike, and also t o "empty the rooms" [of classroom furniture, to prevent teaching] and the occupation of the campus until wednesday the 6th of November. Wednesday 7th November, another general assembly was attended by 1,000 students. Students voted by 618 votes to 361 to continue the strike, blockade and occupation. The technology facutly also went on strike with blockade until Wednesday 14th of November, when another general assembly voted to continue the blockade by 896 votes to 626. http://greve-perpignan.blogspot.com/
Limoges: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 150 people. Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 300 people. Monday 12th November, general assembly of 400 people (literature) who voted to strike and bloc kade. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of science students (300) voted to strike and blockade. Another general assembly was held yesterday.
Bordeaux III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of 1,500 to 2,000 students voted to strike and blockade by a slim majority.
Bordeaux II: Also on strike
Bordeaux I: Wednesday 7th November, general assembly of 140 students. Tuesday 13th November, general assembly of 600 people votes to accept the principle of strike action. Next assembly is on Monday the 19th.
SOUTH EAST
Aix-En-Provence (Schuman site): STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, a general assembly of 1,300 students voted to strike, blockade and occupy. Friday the 9th of November saw a general assembly of 800 people vote to continue the blockade. At 9:30 that night, the CRS [rio t police] dislodged the occupying students (this being a completely unprecedented event in the history of the university). The univesrity has been closed by the administration "until further notice". Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of staff demanded the reopening of the site.
Lyon II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thurday the 8th of November, a general assembly of around 500 people voted to strike and blockade from monday the 12th of November. On Monday 12th November, at least 1,000 students vote to blockade the site for the entire week.
Montpellier II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th November, a general assembly of 500 students voted to strike and blockade. In spite of this, the strike wasn't really begun until Wednesday the 14th of November. On the 14 th of November, a general assembly of more than 1000 students voted to strike and blockade. On Friday the 16th of November, the director intends to hold a referendum on the blockade.
Montpellier III (Paul Valéry): STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Friday the 9th of November, general assembly of 150-200 students. Monday the 12th of November, assembly of around 1000 students who voted for strike and blockade.
Grenoble III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of over 1,000 students voted to s trike, blockade and occupy the building until the 21st of November. On that evening, the police arrived and cleared out the university: three students were arrested.
Grenoble II: Tuesday 13th of November, private security guards dislodged, with the use of dogs, a meeting of students in a lecture theatre.
Saint Etienne: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 80 students. Interprofessional meeting on the 13th. Assembly on the 15th.
Nimes: Friday 9th November, students decided (by secret ballot) to blockade the university from the 12th of November, in order to demand the election of a new university director (the election having been held up by the current rector). Local demands on issues like democratic control, wages and the marking of exam papers. Another general assembly was held yesterday.
Marseille (Saint Charles): Monday 5th of November, general assembly of 150 people.
Chambéry: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 80 people.
Avignon: Monday 12 November, meeting of 300 people.
Clermont-Ferrand: Tuesday 13th November, 450 students attended an informative meeting. The next day, the Administrative Council's offices were blockaded by around 100 students. An assembly was held yesterday.
NORTH
Lille III: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: 6th November, general assembly of 1,200 students voted to strike and blockade. Next general assembly was fixed for the the 12th of November; the assembly decided to let the director of the university organise a referendum by secret ballot on the blockade of the university on that day. On Thursda the 8th of November, a demonstration of 2,000 people. On Monday the 12th of November, the secret ballots were counted to reveal that students had voted to blockade by 1,631 votes to 1,037.
Lille I: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Wednesday 7th November, general ass embly of 300 people. Virtually unanimously votes to strike and a small majority (150 for, 130 against) votes to blockade. Thursday 8th November, demonstration of around 1,500 people. The next day, a general assembly of 1,600 students votes by a very slim majority (810 for, 800 against) to continue the blockade. Monday the 12th of November, a general assembly votes to continue the blockade by 1,082 votes against 1,006. On Wednesday the 14th of November, a general assembly of staff in the maths faculty voted to strike. http://www.ag-lille1.info/
Lille II: Tuesday 13th of November, general assembly of more than 2,000 people votes to strike (1,483 for, 774 against), but the blockade was rejected (952 for, 1,316 against).
Arras: Thursday the 8th of November, general assembly of 400 people votes to accept the principle of striking. Another was held on tuesday 13th of November.
Amiens: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th of November, general assembly of around 400 people. Tuesday the 13th of November, general assembly of 1,000 students from human sciences (of a faculty of 5,000) votes to strike with blockade. On other faculties, a strike without blockade was voted in.
Valenciennes: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE in the literature faculty.
EAST
Nancy II: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 6th November, a general assembly assembled around 150 students and voted to put in place "barrages filtrants" on Thursday the 8th of November. On that day, a general assembly of 700 students, followed by a demonstration of several hundred. Two delegates (from UNEF) were sent to the national co-ordination. On Wednesday the 14th of November, a general assembly of 1,000 students voted to strike with a crushing majority (90%).
Metz: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Thursday 8th of November, general assembly of 650 students voted to strike. Tuesday the 13th of November, a general assembly of 800 students voted to strike, blockade and occuoy.
Reims: Tuesday 6th November, general assembly of around 200 people.
Strasbourg: Thursday 8th November, general assembly of 150-180 people. On Tuesday the 13th, general assembly of 600 people voted to strike without blockade.
Dijon: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly of over 1,000 students voted to strike and blockade.
Besancon: STRIKE WITH BLOCKADE: Tuesday 13th of November, a general assembly in the literature faculty voted to strike and blockade.
France: action spreads to high schools, railworkers' strike wins partial concessions
23 November, 2007 - 20:57 < /FONT>

Author: 
Martin Thomas
The railworkers' strike action in France seems to be ending for the time being, apparently with some concessions, but student mobilisations continue, and may even be growing among high-school students. The militant student union SUD-Etudiant reports: "Thousands of university and high school students marched on Thursday 22 November, in many cities across France, to protest against the university autonomy law" [a first step to privatisation].
SUD-Etudiant estimates: "Between thirty and forty universities were still blockaded on Thursday [22 November], and more than twenty high schools have joined the movement, especially in the region around Paris and in the North.
"Almost three quarters of universities are regularly h olding student General Assemblies against the autonomy law, and more than a third are on strike".
A national student coordination meeting in Tours last weekend called for a new day of action on Tuesday 27th. A new national coordination meeting this weekend [24th-25th] will review that plan and discuss others.
The level of student action is continuing high despite police being called in to end occupations (often with some brutality) at many universities.
According to the militant union SUD-rail, the continuation of the French railworkers' strike over pension rights "became more difficult after Tuesda y 20 November [the day of a public service workers' strike and big demonstrations across France], when the CGT [the majority union, influenced by the Communist Party] began to call for a return to work".
After striking on 14 November, the railworkers had been holding mass meetings each day and voting to continue the strike, and there was a strong commitment to stay out to join up with the public service workers on the 20th, but after that the CGT thought they could secure a return to work. As SUD-rail puts it, "signs of a return to work" were given, and eventually "the return to work by some allowed the leaderships to get a return to work by others, since 'the number of strikers was falling'.
"Nevertheless", continues SUD-rail, "many CGT activists and collectives preferred to continue the struggle, sticking to the same conclusion as that arrived at by SUD-rail and [the other union federation] FO: we have decided together to enter into a mobilisation which we knew would probably be a long one..."
Negotiations are now in progress: SUD-rail reports that "the unions are invited to eleven meetings between now and 18 December". According to Débat Militant (a newsletter published by a current in the LCR), "It seems that the SNCF [mainline railways] and RATP [Paris public transport] managements are willing to finance, from their profits, wage compensations which would allow the meintenance, more or less, of the level of the workers' pensions despite the 'reform'. It is a way of trying to get the movement from 37.5 years' contributions [for a full pension] to 40, that is to secure the real aim of this 'reform', which is not, as we can well see, just a question of money, but rather a political problem: to clear the ground for a general increase in the number of years' contributions required to 40 for all workers".
The battle over pensions is by no means over yet. SUD-rail says tha t the railworkers see their battle as not just one for their particular pension rights, but for all workers, "henceforth directly under threat of an increase in the minimum number of years' contributions for a full pensions being raised to 41 [from 40 at present] in 2008, then 42, and so on".
The bosses' federation MEDEF has indicated that it wants the requirement raised to 45 years' contributions. Reports I'd seen previously spoke of the increase to 41 years as a threat for 2010, but SUD-rail reports it as a more immediate threat.
On 8 December there is a demonstration in Paris against unemployment and casualisation.
French students: 'The movement is building rapidly'


University students have been central to the revolt (Pic: Photothèque Rouge/JMB)

Students across France have been occupying their universities and protesting against the government's LRU laws that introduce the market into university management.
Kohou Mbwélili, a student at Sorbonne university in Paris, spoke to Socialist Worker about the growing movement.
"We've held a series of general assemblies that have voted to shut down the university," she said. "We had a blockade last week, but it was smashed up by the police on Friday morning and one student was arrested.
"This is a new strategy from the university authorities to call in the police at the first sign of a blockade. They're moving much more quickly and aggressively - the idea is not to allow any picket lines to form at the university.
"This has been happening in other universities too - there were major clashes last week between police and students in Nanterre university.
"Our movement is still confident, however. On Monday this week we leafleted the university to build support for a renewed blockade. The student movement is expanding rapidly, following much the same dynamic of last year's movement against the CPE labour laws.
"We've also been building links with other groups of workers. Many of the lecturers here support the idea of an occupation to defeat the new university laws. We've also had rail workers come in to address the general assembly about their strikes.
"I feel the size of the movement against Sarkozy's laws has given us support - especially the strikes by railway workers and civil service workers. We will be joining the demonstrations on Tuesday this week and holding our own day of action on Thursday."

France: action spreads to high schools, railworkers' strike wins partial concessions
23 November, 2007 - 20:57 

Author: 
Martin Thomas
The railworkers' strike action in France seems to be ending for the time being, apparently with some concessions, but student mobilisations continue, and may even be growing among high-school students. The militant student union SUD-Etudiant reports: "Thousands of university and high school students marched on Thursday 22 November, in many cities across France, to protest against the university autonomy law" [a first step to privatisation].
SUD-Etudiant estimates: "Between thirty and forty universities were still blockaded on Thursday [22 November], and more than twenty high schools have joined the movement, especially in the region around Paris and in the North.
"Almost three quarters of universities are regularly holding student General Assemblies against the autonomy law, and more than a third are on strike".
A national student coordination meeting in Tours last weekend called for a new day of action on Tuesday 27th. A new national coordination meeting this weekend [24th-25th] will review that plan and discuss others.
The level of student action is continuing high despite police being called in to end occupations (often with some brutality) at many universities.
According to the militant union SUD-rail, the continuation of the French railworkers' strike over pension rights "became more difficult after Tuesday 20 November [the day of a public service workers' strike and big demonstrations across France], when the CGT [the majority union, influenced by the Communist Party] began to call for a return to work".
After striking on 14 November, the railworkers had been holding mass meetings each day and voting to continue the strike, and there was a strong commitment to stay out to join up with the public service workers on the 20th, but after that the CGT thought they could secure a return to work. As SUD-rail puts it, "signs of a return to work" were given, and eventually "the return to work by some allowed the leaderships to get a return to work by others, since 'the number of strikers was falling'.
"Nevertheless", continues SUD-rail, "many CGT activists and collectives preferred to continue the struggle, sticking to the same conclusion as that arrived at by SUD-rail and [the other union federation] FO: we have decided together to enter into a mobilisation which we knew would probably be a long one..."
Negotiations are now in progress: SUD-rail reports that "the unions are invited to eleven meetings between now and 18 December". According to Débat Militant (a newsletter published by a current in the LCR), "It seems that the SNCF [mainline railways] and RATP [Paris public transport] managements are willing to finance, from their profits, wage compensations which would allow the meintenance, more or less, of the level of the workers' pensions despite the 'reform'. It is a way of trying to get the movement from 37.5 years' contributions [for a full pension] to 40, that is to secure the real aim of this 'reform', which is not, as we can well see, just a question of money, but rather a political problem: to clear the ground for a general increase in the number of years' contributions required to 40 for all workers".
The battle over pensions is by no means over yet. SUD-rail says that the railworkers see their battle as not just one for their particular pension rights, but for all workers, "henceforth directly under threat of an increase in the minimum number of years' contributions for a full pensions being raised to 41 [from 40 at present] in 2008, then 42, and so on".
The bosses' federation MEDEF has indicated that it wants the requirement raised to 45 years' contributions. Reports I'd seen previously spoke of the increase to 41 years as a threat for 2010, but SUD-rail reports it as a more immediate threat.
On 8 December there is a demonstration in Paris against unemployment and casualisation.
France rises up against Sarkozy
by Jim Wolfreys

A major battle is underway in France. The newly elected president Nicolas Sarkozy and his right wing government have launched a wave of attacks on workers and students.
But the movement against neoliberalism has fought back magnificently - with resolute rank and file activism to the fore.
The media is comparing Sarkozy's attacks on French workers to those undertaken in Britain by Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s.
Spearheading the struggle are railway workers, whose strike has gone into a second week, and students, whose protests have affected more than half of France's 85 universities.
Teachers, nurses, solicitors, magistrates, post workers, gas and electricity workers, fishermen and civil servants have also taken action, along with ballet dancers, actors and stagehands at both Paris opera houses and the Comédie-Française theatre.
Railway and metro workers are defending pension rights in the public sector.
They are part of a group of half a million workers who have the right to retire earlier on a full pension, although in return they make higher social security payments.
The government wants to end this "privilege" so that nobody is eligible for a full pension until they have worked for 40 years. It will then launch further attacks on the pension rights of all workers.
Opposition from the Socialist Party and its leader, François Hollande, has been weak.
He is in favour of pension reform and has only criticised the way Sarkozy has gone about it. As one railway worker put it, "When I hear poor old Hollande, I want to cry."
Opposition
It is the railway and metro workers themselves, rather than the official opposition, who have taken the fight to Sarkozy. They walked out on strike on Tuesday of last week.
Daily mass meetings then voted to renew the action so they were still out when other public sector workers demonstrated over pay and job cuts on Tuesday of this week.
The government has entered into talks with some groups, such as gas and electricity workers, in the hope of isolating the railway workers.
It is trying to divide France's various union federations and wants to draw the railway workers' main union, the CGT, into calling off the strike, negotiating and selling out the fight over pensions.
But pressure from below has ensured the action has remained effective, with as much disruption to the transport system as during France's great strike wave of 1995.
The CGT leadership knows that if it calls off the action it will lose credibility and members. But its control of events is already threatened by rank and file activity.
By ensuring the current strike has been continuous, union activists have prevented it from being focused on individual days of action and thereby fragmented.
Sarkozy is also confronted by another battle, led by students, against a new law which will shift control of higher education from the state to the market, opening the door to privatisation of the university system.
Disrupted
As the transport network ground to a halt last week, universities across the country were disrupted by action, with riot police attacking students who had set up blockades in Rennes and Nanterre.
The students' national coordinating committee urged students to join workers on Tuesday of this week and to prepare for a nationwide strike in schools and universities two days later.
The students have also issued a call for every "sector in struggle" to mobilise for a day of action on Tuesday of next week.
The coordinating committee declared, "We must build a movement of all young people and workers to fight back against the government's offensive."
One student activist summed up the mood last week, "We're not great leaders - we're just students who are afraid our future is being flogged off."
Anger at the havoc and misery caused by neoliberalism is what unites all the different groups now engaged in struggle, whether over pay, pensions or market-led education reforms.
Sarkozy has sought confrontation in order to neutralise their movement, which has undermined every French government elected since 1995.
But students and workers are drawing on the activist networks and experience they have built up over the past 12 years.
Despite the government's offensive, this means they have entered the conflict with a higher level of organisation than on previous occasions.
Yet they are faced with a government that is confident it has a mandate for cutbacks and a trade union leadership that has failed to give impetus to the movement.
There are signs that the strikes are provoking tensions on the right. Last week Sarkozy was forced to head off attempts by members of his own UMP party to inflame the situation further by organising an anti-strike demonstration.
He knows that if the government is defeated, the reputation of his hardline presidency will be in ruins.
But the movement of workers and students has already proven its capacity to overcome setbacks.
This week will be a crucial test of the strength of opposition to Sarkozy, who is prepared for a long conflict.
The ability of activists to maintain radical action and mobilise wider layers of workers and students will be crucial.
As one railway worker put it, "After the demonstration on 20 November, the movement has to snowball."

Special Thanks to:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/
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