The demonstration for jobs originally organised by the European Trade Union Confederation for 28 May 1997, actually took place in France on 10 June, due to the timing of the general election.
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The demonstration for jobs originally organised by the European Trade Union Confederation for 28 May 1997, actually took place in France on 10 June, due to the timing of the general election.
A national demonstration was held in Paris on 10 June as part of the European day of action on the theme "Europe must work" called by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) (EU9704120N). According to the organisers, 80,000 people participated in the Paris demonstration, which was considered highly successful by commentators, although police estimate the numbers at 45,000. The CFDT (Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail) and the CFTC (Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens), which both belong to the ETUC, called on their members to support the demonstration, while the CGT-FO (Confédération Générale du Travail - Force Ouvrière), also an ETUC member, declined to take part because of the current political situation in France and differences with other unions over demands for government action. The fact that the CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail), currently applying for ETUC membership, was one of the organisers, was another reason for the CGT-FO's absence from the demonstration. Teachers' unions, the Group of 10 (a confederation of unaffiliated unions), as well as the UNSA (Union Nationale des Syndicats Autonomes, a national federation of autonomous unions), took part in this day of action, which was accompanied by a strike in the country's postal services.
Demands for job creation have assumed a particular relevance with the electoral victory of the Socialist, Communist and Green coalition at the beginning of June. Election debates had focused on job creation, at a time when the conclusion of the EU Intergovernmental Conference at the Amsterdam European Council summit was approaching. The size of the demonstration illustrates the high degree of expectation shared by unions and people alike. The Government thus finds itself simultaneously reassured and placed under scrutiny regarding its line on job creation. The participation in the demonstration of employees from Renault's Vilvorde factory in Belgium also reminded the Government of the difficult task awaiting it.
Eurofound doporučuje citovat tuto publikaci následujícím způsobem.
Eurofound (1997), ETUC-organised demonstration calls for job creation, article.
