English translation of "The Tripoli Program" is-now avail~able. This is the program of thé Algerian Revolution adopted by the National Revolutionary Council, highest body of thé-flational- Liberation Front, at ite June 1962 conference held in Tripoli, > |.
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The program presents a good. analysis of some of the key | probiems facing the Algerian Revolution’ and is’ well worth studyang am a. Wey Gootments i Re Ee. Fs RR ee oe Ee
For a cop of this attractively mimeographed translation send $.35 (Canadian) to the Vanguard. Bookstore ,,.61. Queen. St. _M, Toronto,
DOWN PREIR- PICKS’! [ii FS. Goes ee sen
LAS Ee Pa ee 8 FRENCH MINERS * ot ahs eae
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PARTS _fimenens In face, of stdadily’rising pricés, the: wages of state employes have remained stationery for some time.” France's miners felt the squeeze particularly acutely. At the end of phe 4 yorst winter since 1880, during which they saw the reserves oO:
= sink to the vanishing point, they asked the government to bring their wages back into line with living costs. This required an increase of 11%. The de Gaulle regime responded by offering 5.77% -~ nee at once but spread over the next yesr. This irritated the miners.
Talk about the need for strike acticn spread rapidly through the coal fields. The unior bureaucracies felt the pressure and began to respond in an uneven way. The vig Communist—dominated CGT (Confederation Generale de Travaillwurs)-was eyen more cautious than the smaller Social—Democratic FO (Force Ouvriere) and Catholic CFTC (Confederation Frangais des Travhilleurs Chretiens), the CGT calling for a 48-hour strike, the othor two demanding that it be made "indefinite." |
The response of the government was to announce a decreé "yequisitioning" the mineré; that is, making it obligatory to show up on the job and to work as usual under threat of heavy fines and jail sentences. The government hear been able to get away with this kind of decree with smaller and weaker sectors of the labor movement. It brought the angemof the miners to boiling point.
Strike action began in the Lorreine area and spread to’the Nord and Pas-de-Calais. -
The government warned the strixers that not only must they sux to as ordered in the official decree; they've also got to dig coal. : ‘
This order did not win de Gaulis-any new friends among the miners. In fact it seems to have armaged stiil wider sympathy for them among other sectors. ° ~. O&
‘Me mine engineers decided unenitenusly to donate two day's pay as a token of solidarity and ts refuse to put any pressure on the miners to go back into the pits.
In the Pas-de-Calais, general sentiment among the public can be gauged from a statement made by the bishop of Kerent "This ~& strike concerns all ‘of us; we must show solidarity. . . What can we do to help make the voice of the miners not only heard but listened tv?"
Throughout France this appears to be the feeling among thé working people. The entire labor movement decided to indicate its’ attitud een=n e nationwide work stoppare. ; :
uled for today. _—
Will the government decide that discretion is now in order or will de Gaulle decide to press his challenge to the ininers? There is as yet no clear indication. +
Whatever the government decides to do, the fact is that the miners have already taken a most significant step. The last big
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mine strike occurred in 1947. It was marred by opposition between Communists and reformist Socialists. After the defeat, the CG? wes split by the reformists who set up the rival FO.
During the perliamentary electicns last November signs of a possible new united front appeared. Mainly in the Nord anda Pas-de-Calais, Socialists and Communists voted for each other's candidates after the preliminary vote in which first choice candidates were indicated.
Renewed unity of action has not yet appeared among the top leaders but a fresh wind of unity and confidence is blowing. The movement is primarily for wage demands, but the government by issuing ite decree has begun to give this question a political meaning. a Ih
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