Thursday, July 12, 2012

Social Conference in France outlines massive attacks on the working class...

The “‘Great Social Conference”’ convened by the Socialist Party (PS) government of President François Hollande took place on July 9 and 10 in Paris. It brought together the 300 officials representing the state, the trade unions, and employers’ associations to draw up plans for reducing France’s debt and increasing the profitability and competitiveness of French business.

As France and Europe sink ever deeper into economic depression, these forces are uniting to agree upon deep attacks on the working class.

(...)

Le Monde praised the unions for agreeing to the cuts and reducing labor costs in France: “‘This is the first time in France that the social partners [the unions]...have admitted that there is a labour cost problem. A real revolution. The right should applaud with both hands.”’

In his opening speech to the conference, Hollande cynically tried to present the cuts as a measure to save jobs: “‘Everything must be discussed to reach at the highest level of employment in our country.”’

In the meantime, Hollande is doing nothing to halt a wave of plant closures; the unemployment rate has just topped 10 percent, and 22.5 percent for workers aged15 to 24. Some 84 plant closures involving 60,000 workers are imminent, including PSA, Valeo, Honeywell, Wonderbra, Air France, and several banks. Full story...

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  2. France's election choice is between a jackanapes and a dunderhead...
  3. France Telecom bosses face suicides investigation...
  4. Corporate profits at all-time high; wages at all-time low...
  5. Bosses' bonuses up by 187% since 2002
  6. Capitalism in crisis, a warning from history: 80 years ago, a banking collapse...

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