For several weeks the strike in the French oil industry has been a major confrontation with Macron’s power and the capitalists he serves. At the heart of it Total Énergies, a French multinational oil corporation that exploits its workers as well as its customers while running the planet. Atrue picture of Macron’s world that most of us reject.
An authoritarian power, a weapon for capitalism
Even if the oil workers’ strike noticeably disrupts the daily life of millions of French people, the anger is mainly directed against the true initiators of the situation: multinationals with their super profits and the politicians who wish to demonstrate strength against those who they think weak – our social class – but somehow feebleness in the face of the powerful.
“I am at the side of all our fellow countrymen(women) who struggle and are fed up with this situation”, said Macron last Monday. But did he say or do anything to make Total Énergies redistribute its $18.8 billion profit in the first quarter of 2022 (add that Total Énergies’ CEO just raised his compensation by 52%)?
Macron and his friends would rather threaten the oil workers who fight for a significant salary increase against the exploding cost of living. He has conscripted some strikers back to work at Total Énergies and Exxon, an unheard-of action on the part of any recent French government and a flagrant violation of workers’ right to strike. Meanwhile in the Assemblée nationale [The French congress], Macron’s“majority”, which is in fact a minority, forced the adoption of its antisocial yearly national budget using Article 49.3 of the French constitution authorizing such antidemocratic move.
Already mobilized Sunday the 16th and Tuesday the 18th of October…
Sunday’s national march “again the rising cost of living and climate inaction” was an important first step. Gathering several tens of thousands of demonstrators in Paris and a wide array of leftwing and progressive political and social organizations, this march has not only successfully boosted the morale of the striking oil workers but also all the workers already fighting in other sectors such as nuclear power, retail giants, the automobile industry, etc.
The government’s forced conscriptions of striking oil workers effectively provided the spark that ignited the powder keg. In response, Tuesday, October 18th was proclaimed a day of mobilization of all professional sectors with 150 demonstrations all over the French territory and strike actions in many mobilized sectors such as education, energy, transportation… Beyond the necessary solidarity with the oil workers at the head of this mobilization, the challenge of this day was to unite the maximum number of workers ready to fight for the redistribution of the wealth: significant initial wage increases then indexation with inflation.
The struggle goes on!
Keeping fighting, creating the conditions allowing for the construction of a movement for a general strike that would unite public and private workers, here is what’s on the table. Pointing to this, the call for renewing the strike decided by a third of the rail workers’ General Assemblies. One must “strike” the iron while it is hot, we must gather everywhere to discuss and decide future actions so that we can press our advantage.
The fragility shown by the state power [in response to the mobilizations] must equally be acknowledged when deciding further political objectives. It will be imperative to step out of the routine, to debate and to unite all the radical forces, starting with those who defend the revolutionary transformation of society or look at LFI [“La France Insoumise”, a radical leftwing political organization] as a healthy break from the longstanding leftwing governing parties. A fighting left, organically linked with the movement, useful for the class struggle and for the rupture with Capitalism: it is a necessity for our social class.
Courtesy Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste
Translated by the ISP
