After Giscard d'Estaing's victory in the second round of the presidential dections in May, you forecast a 'third round' in which the mass of worken would move into struggle to achieve their demands. It now scems to have begun.
Yes, and there are basically three reasons for it Fint of all, there is the question of at a level of 15-20 per cent, one of the highest rates in Europe.
Secondly, there is the question of semployment. Hundrods of small and partly as a result of crodit restrictions mposed by the Government. And in the hip firms, more and more workers ate now being put on short time. A maj ority of workers now understand that their jobs are at risk.
Thirdly, the majority of warkers now believe that theru is a political solution to the present crisis through the coalition between the Communist and Socialit ENCOUT MAN SISTEROUnT TO project, in the consciousness of the workcas at the present stage it plays a certain role in pushing forward and raising the level of these mass struggles.
How have the Communist Party and the trade union federation it dominates, the CGT, reacted to these deydopments?
Il is important to recognise that the CP and the CT have changed their tactics of'struade in recent months. For example, workers there are three demands, all of which are completely unacceptable to the capitalints.
The postal workers are demanding an across-the-board monthly increase of 200 francs (about [4 a week): a minimum monthly wage of 1700 francs (E35 per the Government; and the incorporation of 100,000 auxiliary workers into the temular worktorce ment can t agree to without being forced to do the same for the teachors and all the other proups in the public sector where this system operates.
The CGT and the CT continue to support these demands and play a leading part in this strike. Only later will they my to the workers: "You have soen with your own eyes that we have fought as hard as possible, but as you can see the Government won't agree to our demands. However, it is the Government 50 wEwill nave to nepotiate seen with it And then they will lower the demands.
Das at tne samic wise wacy wall expiRe that the only solution now is political -that the workers have to deleat this Govchument, and then prepare for elections, And it is clear that though there will be won't appear to the morses as having 1000IE - because they are able to put forward this political solution at the same time as they betray the economic struggie, It's Ukely now that they will put forward the dea or a oboday conemal strike in France, as a way of showing that they are acady to light. But when it's only one day, then when the day is over that's that. So if there is a one-day general strike -probably at the end of November - we will fight for its continuation. tension between the two major ist Party - in recent months, What lies behind this?
The project of the Union of the Left remains the same, but these tensions rollect the different naturo of those two parties, Their Tinks with the working class The Communist Party is recognised by the working claw us a workers' party: it now has to explain to the bourgeoisie that it is not about to make the revolution, that them into the Government, and so on. is why they are now making a right turn Of that's possibic), trying to link up with the Gaullists with the call for a kind of nutio TE UTOR For the Socialist Party, however, the problem is the opposite. Their general reliability has long been accepted by the bourgcolsic, but since the war they have working class So they've now adopted a "loft" langwaco and prosrammo which serves one woring Class Then Taey WHE DO ADIC po say to the bourgeoisie. now we are useful to you as well as reliahle, because The current dispute between the CP and the SP is really a false one. Since they adhere to the same propramme, the CP has to find some other way of taking its distance. But what's very funny is that when the CP talks about the SP possibly betraying the common programme, it's the left and not the right of the SP that the SP are talking about socialism and so on We don't agree with this. All that's Booty to appy to common paou amme and no more.
We've talked quite a bit about the growing strike wave, but we haven't so far mentioned another important development in the class struggle in France — the emergence of a movement in the army.
to intervene in the army, especially when it's a conscript anny. I's also Linked to the present political situation of Chale shows once again that you have to sart work in the army before there is a revolutionary situation or a big upsurge of the masses So we launched this petition WE US MODUL UMERT DOME ITIE rights, but because even so it was still illegal it had a fantastic subversive impact. This petition has now been signed by 4,000 conscripts and some NCOs, and also some carcer soldiers We also called on the soldiers to organise themselves in underground committees on the basis of this platform. These committecs now exist In 12n? barracks. Of coume they dan't involve are democratic demands, they aro able to have a mass influence whenever they organise actions.
uplan, when as a result of the activity fon of 300 soldiers in the stroets.
Left, and so on.
bit, bocause the question that is now ubic to the CP, which says that all the officers must be persuaded to join the divisions between the conscript solidices and the officurs.
CP members who signed the original round committees and thinns lice that ress of a new organisation of the Fourth International in France, the (FCR - Revolutionary Communist Front). Could you say why this is so important?
Yes, we have now reached a now stape in building tho party. We're no longor a groupiet of students and high schoolens. We are now beginning to get a teal implantation in the working class change our whole method of working to take account of this and transform the many soldiems bocause it's vury dangerous. but as the dermands of these comm tress That explains what happened in Drap of such a committee you had a demonstratAs for the CP, they have now been foeced to laurich their own petition in the army, which is for the democratisation of the army, in support of the Union of the But they have now beca gulflanked a raised in the self-organisation of the solu1e in no barracks Eas in t at an accept Union of the Left, and accept the common programme, and that we most avoid any But of course there are many young petition and are now ready to build under Next month sees the founding congFront Communiste Revolutionnaire Secandly, this means we cannot be FASCISTS MURDER
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One of the speakers at the Red Weekly Rally last Friday was ALAIN KRIVINE, who stood as the Trotskyist presidential candidate in the French elections earlier this year. Martin Meteyard inter- viewed him afterwards about the present situation in France. There seems to have been increasing
parties in the Union of the Left the Communist Party and the Social-