Mixed fortunes for CGT and UNSA on ETUC membership

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In March 1999, the executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation confirmed the admission of France's CGT confederation, but turned down a membership application from the independent UNSA federation.

On 16 March 1999, the executive committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) confirmed the admission of France's General Confederation of Labour (Confédération générale du travail, CGT). The National Federation of Independent Unions (Union nationale des syndicats autonomes, UNSA), whose membership application was also considered on the same day, was not admitted.

Hitherto, three French trade union confederations were members of ETUC - CFDT, CFTC and CGT-FO. CGT, which severed its ties to the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in 1994, had sought ETUC membership for many years and applied for membership in 1974 and 1979. The then general secretary, Louis Viannet, applied for the third time in 1994 when, on the request of Nicole Notat, the CFDT general secretary, ETUC deferred its decision until 1996. The climate and landscape of the French trade union movement has since changed (FR9811139F), and Emilio Gabaglio, the ETUC general secretary was warmly received at the CGT congress in early 1999 (FR9902154F).

In 1999, all the ETUC's member organisations approved the CGT's application, with the exception of CGT-FO, which opposed its entry - in the words of its general secretary, Marc Blondel- "out of deference to independent and free trade unionism and the history of the French trade union movement".

The situation of UNSA is different. This organisation was originally composed of previously independent trade unions, mainly from the civil service sector - including the Federation of National Education (Fédération de l'éducation nationale, FEN) - joined recently by union activists formerly in CGT-FO. It has always maintained its commitment to the European Union and some of its member federations are already full-fledged members of ETUC's sectoral European Industry Federations. However, UNSA is not officially recognised in France as a representative intersectoral union in all sectors of activity. In addition, UNSA, which is trying to get a stronger foothold in French trade unionism, remains very obscure in other European countries.

In October 1998, UNSA reached "a partnership agreement" with CFDT, under which both unions agreed to talk with a single voice on Europe, both within ETUC and "in every area where policies promoting European construction are developed". The terms and conditions of this agreement were the object of debate within ETUC.

In an attempt to stay out of the internal debates of the French trade union movement, many national union organisations from other European countries were careful to abstain from voting. UNSA's membership application was supported by CFDT, but was strongly fought by CGT-FO, and to a lesser extent by CFTC, as well as Luxembourg's CGT/OGB-L. Ultimately, UNSA's membership application polled 46 favourable votes out of a possible 73, with 23 abstentions and four votes against. Since the necessary two-thirds majority was not obtained, UNSA's membership application will be considered again at a future session of the ETUC executive committee, most likely to be held in May 1999.

Membership of ETUC has, over the years, appeared to each of the major French trade union confederations as a necessary element for the recognition of their activities in France itself. The two membership applications considered by the ETUC executive on 16 March 1999 demonstrate this fact. Membership of the same European union organisation may have an impact, in the long term, on the activity and shape of the French trade union movement itself.