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Via Workers World News Service
Reprinted from the June 12, 1997
issue of Workers World newspaper
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French elections

Bosses' austerity program takes a beating

By G. Dunkel

The second round of the French elections June 1 sealed the definitive electoral defeat of the right-wing parties. They did worse than predicted with only 257 seats out of 577, compared to the 473 seats they held in the last parliament.

The Socialist-Communist-Green coalition won 319 seats, a comfortable majority.

The mood among the right wing was glum, while the crowd in front of the Socialist Party's headquarters was dancing in the street, chanting and hugging. It was also much younger and more diverse.

But the celebration was much tamer than the one in 1981, when Socialist leader Francois Mitterrand won the presidency for the first time. Then millions of workers and youths thought the Socialists really intended to change France's capitalist system to one that put the workers' needs first. Then the celebrations swept through Paris and other big cities, and the stock market plunged.

The reaction was relatively muted this time. The stock market dropped 3 percent after the first round of voting, indicating the right's setback, but then it gained again.

The new government is promising to create jobs. But the management of Peugeot, the large French auto maker, felt so confident that it announced it was laying off 2,816 employees as of June 11. This is the date the new Socialist prime minister takes office.

Response to left-wing victory

The Socialists campaigned on the basic issues of combating austerity, providing jobs and defending benefits like social security. French workers face almost 13 percent unemployment, but they enjoy a level of social benefits much higher than those in the United States or Britain, for example. These benefits are mostly financed by taxes on employers.

The French Communist Party won 38 seats in this election. The CP ran on a platform promising to create 1.5 million jobs in two years, cut the work week from 39 to 35 hours for the same pay, and promote cultural, social, economic and human development in France and elsewhere in Europe.

CP General Secretary Robert Hue in his statement on French television made it clear that his party is interested in joining the government, not just in supporting it in parliamentary voting. Whether or not the CP and SP can agree on a government program is yet to be seen.

The Socialist Party took a much more moderate approach to the election. For example, it agreed with the CP that it is important to reduce the work week to 35 hours. But its plan called for the reduction to take place over five years.

Its immediate reaction to its victory was to promise no budget cuts and "rectification" of the budget so as to hire more youth.

According to the newspaper Le Monde, the European Community of capitalist states reacted without much "nervousness" to the victory of the left, since they could tell it was coming. Plans for a united European currency could be affected, but that is already shaky because of a struggle between Germany's central bank and the chancellor, as well as the new British government's attitude.

Nevertheless, Europe's working class is encouraged by the election outcome to continue its struggle against European bankers and bosses, who have tried to impose cutbacks and austerity claiming that they are necessary to compete on the world market, especially with the United States. The capitalist establishment here has already managed to impose these anti-worker policies.

Workers demand change

After a series of major mass struggles in the street, the French working class has won an electoral victory over the right. Whatever the French capitalists want to do, they know they have to move cautiously.

French union leaders didn't wait for the installation of the new Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin before raising demands. The secretary general of the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) said that privatization of France Telecom, the French communications company, and Thompson, a large electronic firm, had to stop immediately.

"This is a burning issue," Louis Viannet said.

"The new majority has to keep its promises" is the way SUD, the major union in the post office, put it.

Workers Force, another major union confederation, is calling for a major increase in salaries.

Almost every major French union indicates it is going to push hard and quickly to defend workers' rights and reduce income inequality and employment insecurity.

If the new French government fails to reverse or at least moderate the program of austerity that the European ruling class laid out in the Maastricht treaty, it will face even more resistance from the workers.

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