For the first time, a woman reaches the command post of the CGT. Sophie Binet was elected, Friday, March 31, secretary general, at the end of the 53e congress of his union, which took place in Clermont-Ferrand in an extremely tense atmosphere. Such a choice is a surprise, because she was not in the running to succeed Philippe Martinez at the beginning of the reunion of the CGT family, in the capital of Puy-de-Dôme.
Three other personalities were in the race, including Marie Buisson, considered Mr. Martinez’s favorite candidate and who had been dubbed by the outgoing management team. But this was dismissed by the national confederal committee (CCN), the “parliament” of the CGT, which brings together the federations and the departmental unions. The task of the new leader promises to be more than difficult: she will have to work to pick up the pieces of an organization that has been tearing itself apart for months, the exchanges during the 53e congress having been particularly virile.
The first initiatives it will take will be watched with great attention by the government but also by the other central workers, with which the CGT has joined forces in an inter-union to demand, for two and a half months, the abandonment of the pension reform. One of the questions is whether this alliance will remain as strong as when Mr. Martinez was number one, having walked hand in hand with the other confederal leaders – in particular with Laurent Berger, the general secretary of the CFDT.
Thunderbolt
After the proclamation of the election results in the Grande Halle d’Auvergne, on the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand, Mme Binet gave a speech which, from the outset, was placed under the sign of appeasement and reconciliation. “We had a difficult, complicated congress”sometimes « violent »she said, indicating that such violence “has no place in our militant relations”. An allusion to the incidents and fights that punctuated the debates during the congress. From the opening of the work, Monday, March 27, an altercation had occurred because of a dispute over the designation of delegates from the trade federation. The next day, a huge clap of thunder sounded, synonymous with a snub for the outgoing team: the activity report, which traces the action of the union during the recent period, was rejected by just over 50% votes. A slap in the face for Mr. Martinez and an exceptional event – perhaps unprecedented – in the history of the confederation.
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