With the French workers in struggle!

Of Partito Comunista Italiano – Paris

For three weeks now, French transport workers have been on strike against the Macron pension reform. A reform that aims to lower future pensions, extend the retirement age and prepare for the privatization of the pension system.

The strike is blocking the capital of the country, as well as the railway lines. Many other sectors have gone on strike, including electric power plants and refineries, which have occupied their production sites and are cutting the light to the big monopolies and at the same time giving it to poor neighborhoods. Something unknown in Italy is happening: an indefinite strike. Either the government and the bosses give in, or the workers in struggle give in.

Several days of general strike have already been organized, with powerful demonstrations in all the cities of France. A new day of general stop will be organised on 9 January. This is something we haven't seen in Italy for a long time.

As militants in Paris we are involved in these mobilizations, as members of the French class union, the CGT. What we are witnessing and participating to is a major class struggle, perhaps the biggest since the crisis began. It is the first large-scale response by the European working class. In the face of this, we remain incredulous at two facts. The CGIL, the brother trade union of the CGT, has limited its solidarity to a mere message: nothing more. Not a presidium, solidarity mobilisations, perhaps a strike to support the French comrades in their struggle. Nothing. Nothing appears on the pages of the CGIL website, as well as in its media. At the same time all the Italian media have put the silencer: one of the biggest European capitals has been blocked for 3 weeks by a strike and there is talk of middle fingers or other nonsense.

It is therefore our duty to bring and build all possible solidarity with our French comrades in struggle. We are sure that if this strike is victorious, the air will gradually change in the rest of Europe too. Even in Italy. That is why we are asking all our Italian comrades to build information initiatives on what is happening here; to invite everyone to take part in them, to make leaflets, dinners, sit in front of consulates and embassies, to impose discussion at their union meetings.

We are available: whoever needs a testimony, we are available. You can hold conferences via Skype or use the many means that are available today.

Contrary to what you have been told, the strikes do not stop; on the contrary, they continue, even during the Christmas holidays. Comrades will spend Christmas in train stations or maintenance centres. There is no need to say the cost, even personal that they are bearing, both in economic and personal terms.

We therefore ask you to send these heroic workers all the solidarity available. Send messages of solidarity, because these will help to warm up the struggles and make international support felt. We are also asking you to support them financially, so that they can hold out a minute longer than the boss. We remember the economic and working situation in Italy, made up of low wages, precariousness, often poverty. We know this. We ask everyone to give what they can. Even a single symbolic euro can serve to make them feel solidarity.

Let us not leave these workers alone. The fate of the workers is always common; it crosses borders, languages and continents. If the French workers win, there will also be room for workers from other countries. Long live the struggle of the French comrades! Long live the CGT!

To send messages of solidarity you can do so at: https://www.cgt.fr/contacter-la-cgt
(do not hesitate to contact us if you need to translate into French)

To support the struggles financially:

Transfer to : CGT Siege Service Comptabilité Causal: Solidarité CGT Mobilisation

Bank: Groupe Credit Cooperatif
IBAN: FR76 4255 9100 0008 0028 5960 774

With Credit Card on the line:

https://www.lepotsolidaire.fr/pot/k352mful

or

https://www.lepotsolidaire.fr/pot/solidarite-financiere

To follow the struggles :

Pci Paris
Email: pci.paris.idf@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/PciParisIDF/

CGT Paris
https://www.facebook.com/cgtparis/

CGT – National Page
https://www.facebook.com/ConfederationGeneraleTravail/

CGT – Subway of Paris
https://www.facebook.com/cgtratp/

CGT- Rail workers
https://www.facebook.com/CGT.des.Cheminots/