With the neoliberal reforms that Macron has rapidly implemented, social dialogue between social movements, unions and the government has become more difficult and fragmented. The French trade union movement is split along political lines into several umbrella organizations, and the level of organization has stagnated. The yellow vests have not been able to decisively change Macron's course. But they have rearticulated positions critical of capitalism and class struggle, also taking migrant struggles into the equation.
The French trade union movement has been split into several confederations since the early beginnings of the labor movement. The more social-democratic and consensus-oriented federations are the French Democratic Trade Union Confederation (CFDT) and the General Confederation of Labor Power (CGT-FO). They accept deregulation if internal structures of worker participation are reinforced. The level of unionization has stagnated at just 11%.
Elected president in 2017 and 2022, Emmanuel Macron and his LREM (The Republic on the Move!) party reject the previously usual social dialogue and state-mediated concertation between business associations and unions.
Macron has all reform projects passed in the shortest possible time to quickly make changes that aren't easily altered.
Racist tones did not play a role; rather, solidarity with the people of the migrant suburbs grew over time. There, the state and police have been countering protests against exclusion and poverty with violence for decades. The yellow vests saw themselves affected by this situation.
The yellow vests could not decisively change Macron's course. But they have rearticulated positions critical of capitalism and rooted in the class struggle, also integrating migrant struggles in the whole.
Police violence is now also addressed socially, linked to a structural analysis of the hierarchical, male-dominated and racist basic consensus within the police.
Left-wing alliance lists achieved major successes in the local elections of March and June of 2021. In April 2022, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, as the candidate of the Socialist party Rebellious France (LFI), missed the ballot for the presidency by a narrow margin with 21.95% of the votes.
In the French parliament, two votes of no confidence were proposed against President Emmanuel Macron's government due to the controversial pension reform. However, the government has a majority in parliament and the proposals were rejected. In the first vote, 278 centrist government MPs under President Emmanuel Macron withdrew their confidence, but the pension reform was still passed. The gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 is now officially adopted.
► The demonstrators have given the government an ultimatum to withdraw the law.
► They also demand that the retirement age be lowered to 60 and wages be increased to counter inflation and the cost of living crisis.
Worker-class groups throughout Europe, including the All Workers Militant Front (PAME) in Greece, the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB/PVDA), the Communist Youth Front (FGC) in Italy, and others, have expressed their solidarity with the workers' protests in France.
Story-telling: Dario Azzellini , Illustration: Carina Crenshaw
This is a graphic storytelling inspired by the article "No End to the Resistance. Social Movements and Emmanuel Macron" by Sebastian Chwala, which was published in the anthology "If Not Us, Who? Global workers against authoritarianism, fascism, and dictatorships" (external link, opens in a new window) by Dario Azzellini.
This visual narrative is published under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0! (external link, opens in a new window) Share, use or adapt this graphic narrative for your educational work. Don't forget to republish it under the same terms, giving credit to L!NX and the authors!
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