A 53rd Congress in the fog. For the first time since its birth in 1895, a woman should take the head of the CGT next week, but the uncertainty remains on the name of the one who will succeed Philippe Martinez, Marie Buisson or Céline Verzeletti.

The congress will open Monday in the agglomeration of Clermont-Ferrand, until Friday. About a thousand delegates are expected, in a particular context, that of a mobilization against the pension reform which has rebounded after more than two months of protest, and in which the CGT is at the forefront.

“The delegates will arrive with four, five, six weeks of mobilization, strikes, daily initiatives (…) It will be a great moment”, rejoices in advance the secretary general of the Ferc (Federation Education, Research and Culture), Marie Buisson, candidate nominated by the outgoing management.

The secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, should parade one last time under this cap on Tuesday in the streets of Clermont.

Like the other trade unions, the CGT has taken on its colors thanks to the mobilization against the postponement of the retirement age to 64, carried by an inter-union united around the duo that Mr. Martinez forms with the leader of the CFDT, Laurent Berger.

But during its eight years of mandate, the CGT lost its place as the first trade union organization in favor of the CFDT, a “failure” he recognized in Le Monde on Wednesday.

Above all, Mr. Martinez bequeaths a deeply divided organization, to the point that the outcome of the congress is uncertain in the eyes of many union officials and outside observers.

The candidate dubbed by the management, Marie Buisson, is challenged by Céline Verzeletti, co-secretary general of the UFSE (Federal Union of State Trade Unions).

Without being an official candidate, the latter has the support of several powerful CGT federations, including those of railway workers or energy, who consider that she “seems to meet the conditions for a broad agreement, a gathering of the all the organizations of the CGT, and the possibility of collective work” within the management bodies of the union.

The secretary general of the Departmental Union of Bouches-du-Rhône, Olivier Mateu, has also entered the ranks, but his candidacy does not respect the criteria defined by the CCN (National Confederal Committee, the “parliament” of the union ) and should not succeed.

Ms. Buisson’s opponents accuse her of not having a good reputation, of not having led an emblematic struggle, and of having made herself known above all for having represented the CGT within the collective “Never again that” (renamed the Ecological and Social Alliance ), which brings together trade unions, NGOs and associations, with the desire to tackle environmental and social issues head-on.

Several large industrial federations do not find themselves in the orientations of “Never again”, in particular on nuclear power, and a broader front still criticizes the absence of democratic debate within the CGT on this alliance created in March 2020.

With Le Monde, Mr. Martinez was pleased that the CGT had “progressed” on “opening up to other actors in civil society”.

He also argued that the CGT had been able to “clarify (r) (its) relations with political parties”, by clearly asserting its leadership on the social movement, in the face of the hegemonic wills of rebellious France.

“I don’t want a party to be in the stands, during CCN meetings, to tell us what we have to do,” he said, targeting LFI, and by extension Ms. Verzeletti, who is close to it.

The votes on the activity report (Tuesday) and the orientation document (Thursday) should make it possible to see more clearly the balance of power. Ultimately, the CCN will decide on Friday morning.

With AFP, a connoisseur of social issues is alarmed by the state of “disintegration” of the CGT and the rest, regardless of the winner.

“Céline Verzeletti, if she is installed by the federations against the confederation, it is not she who will free herself from the supervision of the federations. Marie Buisson imposed by Martinez on a lot of people who do not want it, that does not won’t be easier,” he worries.

03/26/2023 13:43:08 –         Paris (AFP) –         © 2023 AFP