# General Confederation of Labour (France)

The General Confederation of Labour (French: Confédération Générale du Travail, CGT) is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.
It is the largest in terms of votes in the Labour Court elections (34.0% in the 2008 election), and second largest in terms of membership numbers.
Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995–96 (it had more than doubled when François Mitterrand was elected president in 1981), before increasing today to between 700,000 and 720,000 members, slightly fewer than the Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail (CFDT).
According to the historian M. Dreyfus, the direction of the CGT is slowly evolving, since the 1990s, during which it cut all organic links with the French Communist Party (PCF), in favour of a more moderate stance. The CGT is concentrating its attention, in particular since the 1995 general strikes, to trade-unionism in the private sector.

## History

The CGT was founded in 1895 in Limoges from the merger of the Fédération des bourses du travail (Federation of Labour Councils) and the Fédération nationale des syndicats (National Federation of Trade Unions). Auguste Keufer was amongst the founders and became the first treasurer.
At the end of Henri Krasucki's term (1982–1992), he began to distance himself from the French Communist Party (PCF). His successor, Louis Viannet, did the same, going as far as resigning from the political bureau of the party.
CGT General Secretary Phillipe Martinez announced that the union will support the week of climate action beginning on 20 September 2019.
In 2023, the CGT was involved in the interunion social movement against pension reform which organized strikes and protests in 300 towns across France, and wrote to Emmanuel Macron requesting negotiations, then, having not been received, mediation and a suspension of the 2023 French pension reform bill.
On 18 June 2024, the CGT called for a vote for the New Popular Front (NFP) in the 2024 French legislative elections. with the CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet also personally endorsing the NFP. Céline Verzeletti [fr], a senior CGT member and General Secretary of the Federal Union of State Trade Unions, was nominated by the NFP for Paris's 15th constituency. The decision to endorse the NFP presented a turning point, since while the CGT has regularly called for a vote against the far right, in recent decades it has not called for people to vote for any specific party or bloc, due in part to the CGT's Amiens Charter—which recognizes the independence of trade unions from political parties.

## Africa

In 1937 CGT began organizing workers in French West Africa. The union's functioning was interrupted by its banning by the Vichy regime, but in 1943-1948 a process of reconstruction took place. The main centers of activity were Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo and the French Soudan. CGT had an upper hand in the Muslim regions in comparison to the rival French Confederation of Christian Workers, who depended on the presence of Catholic communities for its recruitment. CGT emerged as the major trade union force amongst the 100 000 strong organized labour force in Senegal and Mauritania after the Second World War.
Within the CGT branches in the region, there was however a growing wish for independence. A leader of CGT in French West Africa, Bassirou Guèye, promoted this idea. At a meeting of the Territorial Union of Trade Unions in Senegal and Mauritania, held in Dakar 11 November – 12 November 1955, the majority of delegates voted for separation from the French CGT. A conference was held in Saint-Louis on 14 January – 15 January 1956 which formed the Confédération générale des travailleurs africains (CGTA), separating the parts of the West African CGT organizations from the French CGT. At the conference 50 out of 67 delegates had voted for separation.
In Togo, CGT had 45,100 members in 1948 (65% of organized labour). By 1952 the number had decreased to 34,000 (46% of organized labour).
CGT formed a branch in Madagascar in 1936.

## Publications

The CGT has two publications La Vie Ouvrière, and Le Peuple  [fr].

## Affiliated organisations
### Federations

| Affiliate | Abbreviation | Founded | Membership (2019) |
| Banking and Insurance Staff Unions Federation | FSBPA | | |
| Commerce, Services and Distribution Federation | | 1973 | 44,980 |
| Federation of Education, Research and Culture | FERC | 1948 | 25,258 |
| Federation of Employees in the Postal and Telecommunications Sector | FAPT | 1919 | 49,346 |
| Federation of Design Studios | FSE | 1980 | |
| Federation of Workers in the Book, Paper and Communication Industries | FILPAC | 1982 | |
| Finance Federation | Finances | 1930 | |
| General Federation of National Police Trade Unions | | 1946 | |
| Health and Social Protection Federation | Santé | 1979 | 74,725 |
| Merchant Marine Officers' Federation | FOMM | | |
| Metalworkers' Federation | FTM | 1909 | 62,131 |
| National Federation of Agri-Food and Forestry | FNAF | 1981 | 22,701 |
| National Federation of Chemical Industries | FNIC | 1907 | 24,814 |
| National Federation of Construction, Wood and Furniture Employees | FNSCBA | 2011 | |
| National Federation of Entertainment, Cinema, Audiovisual and Cultural Action Unions | FNSAC | 1902 | |
| National Federation of Equipment and the Environment | FNEE | 1973 | |
| National Federation of Glass and Ceramic Workers | | | |
| National Federation of Maritime Unions | FNSM | 1905 | |
| National Federation of Mines and Energy | FNME | 1999 | 58,064 |
| National Federation of Ports and Docks | | 1901 | |
| National Federation of Staff of Social Organisations | Orgasociaux | | |
| National Federation of State Workers | FNTE | 1922 | |
| National Union of Journalists | SNJ | 1918 | |
| Public Services Federation | | 1903 | 80,717 |
| Railway Workers' Federation | Cheminots | 1917 | 42,640 |
| Temporary Staff Union | USI | 1968 | |
| Textile, Clothing, Leather and Laundry Federation | THCB | 1985 | |
| Transport Federation | FNST | 1902 | 36,432 |

### Other affiliates

* Federal Union of State Trade Unions (UFSE-CGT)
* General Union of Engineers, Managers and Technicians CGT (UGICT-CGT)
* Confederation of CGT retirees' union (UCR-CGT)
* Young CGT
* National Committee for the Fight and Defense of the Unemployed

### Former federations

| Affiliate | Abbreviation | Founded | Reason not affiliated | Year | Membership (1937) | Membership (1946) |
| Air, War and Navy Federation | | | | | 16,000 | 15,000 |
| Bridge and Road Engineers' Federation | | | | | | |
| Clothing Federation | | 1892 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 110,000 | 74,000 |
| Commercial Travellers' Federation | | | | | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| Coopers' Federation | | | | | 18,000 | 18,000 |
| Designers' and Technicians' Federation | | | Dissolved | 1945 | 79,000 | N/A |
| Federation of Employees | FEC | 1893 | Joined FO | 1947 | 285,000 | 200,000 |
| Federation of Workers in the Wood, Furniture and Allied Industries | | | Merged into FNSCBA | 2011 | | |
| French Federation of Book Workers | FFTL | 1881 | Merged into FILPAC | 1982 | 60,000 | 55,000 |
| General Administration Federation | | | | | 23,000 | ? |
| Glass Federation | | | | | 30,000 | 23,000 |
| Hairdressers' Federation | | | | | 22,000 | 20,000 |
| Hatters' Federation | | | | | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Jewellers', Goldsmiths' and Watchmakers' Federation | | | | | 12,000 | 8,000 |
| National Education Federation | | | Became independent | 1947 | 101,000 | 150,000 |
| National Federation of Agricultural Workers | FNTA | 1920 | Merged into FNAF | 1981 | 156,000 | 290,000 |
| National Federation of Ceramic, Faience, Pottery and Kindred Industries | | | | | 36,000 | 20,000 |
| National Federation of Construction Workers | FNTC | 1920 | Merged into FNSCBA | 2011 | 540,000 | 700,000 |
| National Federation of Energy | FNE | 1905 | Merged into FNME | 1999 | 80,000 | 105,000 |
| National Federation of Food, Hotels, Cafes and Restaurants | | | Merged into FNAF | 1981 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| National Federation of Hides and Leather | | 1893 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 88,000 | 86,000 |
| National Federation of Miners | FNTSS | 1883 | Merged into FNME | 1999 | 270,000 | 287,000 |
| National Federation of Paper and Cardboard | | | Merged into FILPAC | 1982 | 72,000 | 40,000 |
| National Federation of Textile Industry Workers | | 1891 | Merged into THCB | 1985 | 360,000 | 270,000 |
| Pharmaceutical Federation | | | | | 47,000 | 19,000 |
| Tobacco and Matchworkers' Federation | | 1948 | Merged into FNAF | 2008 | 14,000 | 12,000 |
| Wood Federation | | | | |

## Leadership
### General Secretaries

| Year | Secretary |
| 1895 | Absalon Lagailse [fr] |
| 1898 | Maurice Copigneaux |
| 1900 | Victor Renaudin [fr] |
| 1901 | Eugène Guérard [fr] |
| 1901 | Victor Griffuelhes |
| 1909 | Louis Niel [fr] |
| 1909 | Léon Jouhaux |
| 1945 | Benoît Frachon and Léon Jouhaux |
| 1948 | Benoît Frachon and Alain Le Léap |
| 1957 | Benoît Frachon |
| 1967 | Georges Séguy |
| 1982 | Henri Krasucki |
| 1992 | Louis Viannet |
| 1999 | Bernard Thibault |
| 2013 | Thierry Lepaon [fr] |
| 2015 | Philippe Martinez |
| 2023 | Sophie Binet |