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March 27, 1963
FRONCH NINE STRIKE EWTERS NEW STAGE
With the oponinr of tho fourth woel: of strucrle, the French mine strike enterod o nev stare, Deatin: around the buap,, the government had set up a commission of threc so-called “wise men" who were charged with establishins the facts about wace levels in covernnent-operoted industries (mines, electricity, cas, railways). The “wise men" made their report larch 22. They admitted that wayes of the miners hod la:'ced eirht percont behind other scatecor ies of workers, The union figures showed eleven percent. The * "wise men" dared to include as an increase the fact that the miners had been granted a reduction in hours. The unions also challenged the basis used by the "wise men" for their comparisons. or cate- ‘gories other than the miners, the “wiso men" were evasive. $ 7
Although the fpiovernment hac said that it would make “its own" . | the conclusions of the "wise men,” it did not do so. Once their report was in, it ordered mine manavement not to take the eichtpercent fivure as the basis for “catching up" but to break it up ' and spread it out over the noxt year in such a way as to give only ' @ slicht imrediate increase. As for an increaso beyond that, if it had appeared that the covernmont woo pronmisin;; something. all that it aotually committed itself to do was ures necotLiations =~ next September, Nor was anythinc said about lowerinrc tho work week 38 . (the miners want a 40-hour week at 45~hours pay) or granting ameb , annual foureweeks paid vacation, a demand which is besonine: more and more popular in France. Finally, up to now, tho pfovernment has not mentioned any. proposols for the other catecories (electric£ * gas and riiiene’. ro, : -
The government proposols to the minors were unanimously wit | rejected by the unions as an outrace to that sector and to the working class as a whole. To recognize that wa¢es have fallen Dehind about ten percent and to call for “catching up". through -inereaees spread over a yoar, that even then would not achieve the goal in face of prices that aro constantly mounting, could be meant ‘only to provoke the miners, ;
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dnd it does appear that the intention of the government now is to try to beat down tho miners by running them into debt -—~ their financial resources are very weak if not nonexistent —- and by isolating them and eventually bringing them into disfavor with the public. Tor the first time, certain newspapers are becinning ‘to show less sympathy for tho minors ond are starting cautiously te sound the theme of the necessity to take into consideration the covernment proposals, etc. | 5
The miners have unanimously rojected the covernment proposals. On i.onday larch 24 not a single miner had returned to work. The: atrike is as solid an the first day. The meetincs in the mine areas are as packed es before. The wives of the miners are just aso firm es over and are even participating ac pickets. |
The soliderity of the workers continues; Meny organizations | including: the Communist and Socialist parties are appealing to the | workers to donate a day's pay to help the miners in their strurrle. : In France this is a bic donation. At the sane time, wage demands are multiplying in all soctors (banks, building trades, social security administrction, etc.)
A new phase is opening. Lithor the fovernment will bein action or the trade unions will find it necessary to take the initiative to compel the povernment to offer better terms. Among the rank and file, the minors tend to want more energetic measures, | The trade unions aro still confining thenselves to no more than general thin::'s like appeals te unity and discipline, The movement — .3 most certainly powerful; it 16 still supported by public oninion that 4s to say, not only the worl:ing clase but also very wide laye ef the y bourcooisie. Dut it is becoming more and more evident. that things cannot remain as thoy have been since Maroh 1 when the | strike bocan, ‘hat ip nesossary is bir stroct demonstrations to make the Government mect the domands of the miners satisfactorily.
NUCLEAR TEST IN THE
On March 1°, one year to the day after the Ivian cease-fire
ement was sicned, the I'rench government exploded a