BY MARK KINZEL
MARSEILLE, France - Maritime workers at the Sociéte de
Navigation Corse-Méditerranée (SNCM) waged a six-day strike
here December 1-7, demanding the construction of new ships to
replace aging vessels. The walkout by 2,500 sailors,
maintenance personnel, office workers, and ships' officers
represented by the French Democratic Confederation of Labor
(CFDT), the General Labor Confederation (CGT), and the Workers
Force (FO) union federations shut down the state-owned
company's passenger and freight services.
The SNCM's operations account for 20 percent of the activity in the Port of Marseille. Strikers blockaded major sections of the port December 2. Gates leading into the facilities were sealed off by pickets who welded the locks shut, then placed cargo containers, fork lifts, and burning tires in the roadway. These barricades were staffed 24 hours a day and remained in place until the morning of December 7.
Workers took over the company headquarters and welded the doors shut, forcing management to "go underground and find refuge in an undisclosed location for fear of a new invasion," according to La Provence, Marseille's main big-business daily.
The strikers' actions affected other workers on the waterfront. A group of about 200 strikers entered the port's ship repair facilities December 3 and boarded the Napoleon Bonaparte, the SNCM's flagship. The strikers asked all the workers - including this reporter - to leave the vessel immediately and no further repairs were performed during the strike.
On the picket lines a striking member of the CGT union federation with 25 years at the company, who asked to remain anonymous, explained the issues in the strike. "We'll lose 500 jobs if our demands aren't met," he said. "Three ships are being decommissioned because of their age, and the government has refused to allocate funds for new construction. This is our 10th strike in four years over these issues, but this one is definitely the most serious."
A younger worker on the line agreed, saying, "When I saw the big turnouts on the picket lines and the occupations, I felt very confident. Plus, look what's going on with the rail workers on strike. Hey, even the unemployed are going out on strike!" he added, referring to the ongoing rail strikes and demonstrations and occupations of government offices by jobless workers that were going on in Marseille parallel to the maritime strike.
Similar to last year at this time, when unemployed workers held protests in Marseille and cities throughout France demanding an increase in benefits, the jobless have taken to the streets. On December 3 some 15,000 people marched to the seat of the regional government at the call of the CGT Unemployment Committee, demanding a 3,000 FF ($525) year-end bonus on their unemployment benefits.
There was a heavy turnout from Marseille's immigrant community, and there were prominent signs reading "Legal Status for Undocumented Workers," "French/Immigrant Solidarity," and "North/South Equality."
The national CGT Unemployment Committee called on the jobless and their supporters December 7 to begin occupying unemployment offices the next day demanding "a 3,000 FF Christmas bonus and jobs for all." The statement also called for protests in front of corporate headquarters and federal government buildings. A national demonstration has been called for December 10 in Paris.
The maritime workers voted the night of December 6 to go back to work, after government officials agreed for the first time to hold negotiations over their demands.
As repair work resumed on the Napoleon Bonaparte, one striker commented, "This is not over ... but after this week, we're in a stronger position to fight for jobs."