(Translated by Marie-Paule Duverger from "Courrier Militant" published by "Cahiers de Mai".)
Nearly a year ago a commission was constituted inside the Action Committee of the 6th arrondissement of Paris connected with a small group of revolutionary
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militants who were casual workers themselves. We took this decision after we had read about the work which has been done by the Action Committee of l'Haye -les- Roses about the Health Service, this work pointing out the orientation we should give our activity.
So, we started collecting documentary material and the few statistical documents available. In relation to the work we realised that we were like everybody, full of pre-conceived ideas about this activity, which were very far from the real situation. Losing heart because of the immensity of the task, only three of us were still taking an interest in it.
Because we were going to the meetings of the "Cahiers de Mai" regularly on Thursdays, in October we gradually became more confident when we read the | inquiries that militants of the "Cahiers de Mai" had made. So, we restored : the more or less interrupted relationship with a casual worker whom we knew well.
From this new problems appeared:
- work out the basis for a project of a law by the Ministry of Social Affairs - the signing of an industrial agreement with "Manpower"+ only by the CGT. - none implementation of the agreements of Grenelles (made during May/June 1968) about trade union freedoms.
- an extraordinary increase in the number of casual workers etc....
We agreed to publish an inquiry in "Cahiers de Mai". Therefore, we organised several meetings with a group of casual workers we knew. With their help, we tidied up our documents, we researched the missing statistics. “Ye tape-recorded the discussions. (Talking of tape-recorders, it is extraordinary how a taped conversation can fix important points which would have otherwise been forgotten). We also organised bigger meetings with workers who did not belong to any trade union, with 'settled workers' (i.e. ordinary workers), with CNRS (an organisation specialising in inquiries) which has just finished a great deal of work about this matter.
We also met the branch of the CGT which organises casual workers, who told us of the improvements in law they wanted for giving status to casual workers.
This inquiry should be published in the "Cahiers de Mai" No,18 But we must examine everything thoroughly because of the immensity and the complexity of the problems: there were 100,000 casual workers in France in 1967, there are now 400,000! They are working in every sector of the economy, 65% of them are young and unskilled. Our casual worker comrades are already overloaded with specific militant tasks, particularly inside the CGT, so they must be helped, not only by forming work sessions about particular aspects of the problem, but also by establishing connections with groups in the provinces, Lyon, Bordeaux for instance. Some people are interested in these problems in Lille, there are certainly more elsewhere
Examples of the problems that must be examined thoroughly without delay are: - whereas the wages of the settled workers rise, those of the casual workers decrease,
- casual workers are used for forcing an untenable pace of work.
+"Manpower" is a company that employs workers and then hires them out to other firms, rather like employment agencies in Britain except that the worker is employed by "Manpower" and not the actual employer he is working for.
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For the moment, a casual worker earns less money than an ordinary worker in a settled post, so he is cheaper for the enterprise that employs him, in spite of the high price of invoices. The pressure of the unemployed increases the problem. The casual work enterprises, already monopolise the employment in some branches of industry. The exploitation of the foreign workers by the bosses employing casual workers in some enterprises - most of the foreign workers are employed on a casual basis are from North Africa or are Negroes.
So, our work is to investigate in the poor areas around Paris (called "bidonvilles" i.e. shanty towns) and dormitories to try to find out the probable collusion between the'sellers of men" and the "sellers of sleep". We are connected with militant groups who are teaching reading to adult African workers and we asked them to organise mectings on casual work for us.
The creation of the association of the "Cahiers de Mai" gives an answer to our need. We first took membership on a group basis, then individual cards and subscriptions. The subscriptions give us some money which has been spent already on the advertisments for the bigger meetings. This essociation gave us the opportunity to overcome. a doubtful attitude towards some more or less militant comrades we met in the 6th arrondissement: our activity having the same principles as the "Cahiers de Mai". This therefore, on the political analysis published in No.14, led us away from small group "activity" and the typical political debates of a "tiny group", from which we almost died.
/ Editors note."Courrier Militant is a form of ‘internal bulletin' of the association around "Cahiers de Mai The article has been slighly abridgea_/ We have enclosed a specimen copy of ISRAC, which we hope readers will find interesting. Details of subscriptions etc. can be found within its pages. However, we should like to draw comrades attention to the stop-press insert and act upon it.
F