“union fatigue”, « burn-out militant », « charge mentale »… Over the interventions of their 50e congress, from Monday June 13 to Friday June 17, the militants of the CFDT did not cease reporting their difficulties and, for some, of their “fed up”. «On en a bavé»summed up one of them at the podium.
Certainly, the work carried out in recent years has been recognized. “The ability of the CFDT to act during the health crisis has undoubtedly strengthened the organization in the face of employers, but also in the eyes of employees”noted Bruno Tanguy, from the Defense union in Finistère.
This was reflected as much at the ballot box – the CFDT became the leading trade union in France – as in public opinion, where 60% of employees trust the CFDT to defend their interests. Nevertheless: if the CFDT wins nearly 60,000 members each year, they are as many not to renew their membership.
“We will have to move on to protest”
“For the past four years, we haven’t slept much”says Séverine Boyer, of the Emploi Grand Est union, which ensures that “social dialogue is a combat sport”. “For the management of our company, the negotiation is only an agenda of meetings to be kept: it clearly tells usregrets Alexandre Loreau, metallurgist in a subsidiary of Vinci in the South-West. We will have to move on to protest. » He therefore heard with satisfaction Laurent Berger call ” balance of power “.
“Our role is to be able to commit when negotiation is possible, explained to the platform the secretary general of the CFDT. When it is not, it is to exercise other modalities of the balance of power: strike, demonstration, walkout…” And to insist: “The stakes are too high on wages, work, social protection for employers to shirk. »
“The reform has unbalanced the balance of power in favor of employers”
The state will also have to do its part. For a week, many Cedtist activists questioned the reform of the works council, which became a social and economic committee thanks to the 2017 labor ordinances.
“The reform has unbalanced the balance of power in favor of employers, while the reduction in resources complicates the life and functioning of unions”summed up Laurent Berger, whose union has been warning for several months about the harmful effects of this reform.
Thursday afternoon, the activists have also voted more than 92% in favor of the abolition of the rule prohibiting an elected official from serving more than three successive terms within the CSE. “We will question the Minister of Labor on this next week.underlined Friday Laurent Berger. And we will carry our demands on June 22 during the National Refoundation Council. »
Other forms of activism
Despite these frustrations, however, the picture is far from bleak. On Friday morning, congress delegates listened at length to the results of a sociological survey conducted on engagement. It reveals that 80% of elected union representatives live out their mandate as “a great experience”.
The plant also seeks to explore “other forms of activism”, for example by uniting members around a specific cause. It is also a question of articulating labor issues, the heart of union action, with other times in the lives of employees. The pact of the power to live, through which the CFDT seeks to join other movements and associations in the social or ecological field, is also an example judged positive by the delegates.
“But it is true that building militant collectives that are not based on the same company or the same workplace is a step to take for trade unionism, recognizes Frédéric Sève, national secretary and treasurer of the CFDT. We really feel the breath that this brings us, even if we do not yet know very well what we are going to find in these new forms of activism. »