CPE
Coverage and analysis of the successful struggle against the French Contrat Première Embauche (Contract of First Employment) law, which would have permitted large employers to sack 18-26 year-old workers without notice, and without explanation.
All Quiet On The French Front
Most of this was completed on March 26th 2006 at the height of the movement in France against the CPE, and then updated for the following 2 weeks or so as the movement flowed and ebbed. It inevitably expresses the optimism of the moment, with all its over-simplifications.
The photo here, from April 2006, translates as "Block The Economy - Free Those Arrested".
[i] A major social movement against neo-liberal policies is currently developing in France. Nationwide, it's the biggest thing since May '68, though it's a long way from the social explosion of 38 years ago, which at that time was clearly the most intensive proletarian assault on class power since 1917- 21. It could die a sad death, but this will probably take some time.
Cyril Ferez
Cyril Ferez, beaten by CRS riot police during the anti-CPE protests in 2006.
France: employment law ruled to be in breach of international law
The Appeal Court in Paris has ruled that the CNE is in violation of international employment law.
The CNE is an employment law that allows workers in small businesses with fewer than 20 employees to be kept on a two-year probationary period during which they can be fired without reason. It is the sister law of the CPE which triggered waves of strikes, blockades, demonstrations and occupations across France in 2005-6
Mouvement Communiste CPE leaflets for students and building workers
Two leaflets about the CPE employment law. The first from 27 March, by some students in Jussieu to the building workers directly employed by this university in Paris. The second one was distributed in a student General Assembly, a little after the end of the movement.
It is as workers that we are attacked and not as students!
A lovely spring in France - CPE report by Mouvement Communiste
A report on the unrest and struggle agains the CPE employment law by Mouvement Communiste, a Paris based collective.
The struggle against the CPE has mobilised youth in the education system, starting in higher education and then followed by the high schools, with the principal objective of forcing the withdrawal of Article 8 of the 'Equal Opportunities Law'. This article introduced a new punitive employment contract reserved for young workers. The objective of the struggle has been fully achieved.
CPE and labour contracts in France
This is a short overview of the CPE law, by Ni Patrie, Ni Frontier, serving as an introduction to the following articles focussing on the struggles that this law ignited.
1) What is this new law about youth employment called and what it is about?
What remains of the anti-CPE movement? Echanges et Mouvement
A retrospective written by friends of Echanges et Mouvement. The text criticises the movement on a rather general level, e.g. of not being able to go beyond the boundaries of its student character and provides some overview of past student mobilisations in France.
The anti-CPE struggle report - Theorie Communiste
We summarise a text by Theorie Communiste which focusses on the internal contradictions of the movement, how official representative organisations undermined grassroots initiative and puts the protests in context with the riots of suburban youth.
The anti-CPE struggle
Extracts of an analysis by Theorie Communist
(...)
Occupation, not democracy! Greek student leaflet, 2006
This is a short text then a copy of a leaflet by a group in Thessaloniki called Blaumachen, about the student movement opposed to education "reforms" in Greece around May and June 2006.
Occupation, not democracy!
Introduction
Heavy sentences for four anti-CPE protestors
France: On Friday 10 November four people were jailed for their role in the struggle against the employment law the CPE.
On Friday 10th November four militants, Jean-Pascal, Reda, Valentin and Pierre-Louis were sentenced by the court in Aix-en-Provence. All four were accused of "rebellion" and "violence towards members of the police force in the performance of their duties" during events as part of the anti-CPE movement.
