The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-03
World Front
By HARRY CANNES

300 CenterS Affected
THE united front struggles
L OF the French workers ar.
having a profound effect on
the question of the unifcation
of the trade unions. In the
railroad unions we see this
process in its highest develop.
ment. The revolutionary trads
unions and the refornist organizes
lions are merging into one trads
union body.
Thus far, the following steps have
been taken:
On December 1, In the South Of
France. $50 railroad unions united
their forces into one solid trade
union.
At Tours on December 9 a unity
congress Of the P.-O. railroad work.
ers was held which fused 66 locals
of the unitary or revolutionary
trade unions and 96 locals of the
reformist confederation.
More than $4,000 railroad workers
united their ranks into one union
on the P. L. M, line on the 18th of
December at unity congress held
at Lyons. There 100 locals of the
revolutionary trade unions merged
with 80 reformist locals.
BY January /, 1885, it was exc
pected that in 800 railroad centers
the revolutionary and refornist
trade unions would have massed
their forces into one centralized
trade union of the railroad workers.
This unity took place on the
basis of class struggle trade union
ism, to carry on a more effective
battle against capitalism. and it's
efforts to institute fascist die
tatorship.
IN FACT, both the reformist and
revolutionary delegates at these
unity conventions condemned class
collaboration formerly advocated bv
the leaders of the reformist rail-
road trade unions who for a long
time resisted the fusion of the
railroad workers into one mighty or
ganization.
The leaders of the G. G. t. (re-
formist General Confederation of
Labor tried hard to get their fol-
lowers to accept the principles Of
working along with the bosses idea
OF harmony and peacefulness, in
other words, class collaboration.
These leaders fought hard against
every step toward trade union unity,
because this very idea itself went to
defeat their efforts of not fighting
the bosses. When the wish for
unity of the trade unions made
great advances among the masses
of workers in the reformist unions.
the leader who did not want united
ranks put forward the slogan: Eyes,
trade union unity, but within the
G. G. T." In France, that meant
that the revolutionary trade
unions, which we're large mass or
CARNATIONS, should just knuckle
down to the former class collabora-
tin policies of the C. G. T. leaders.
In other words, these French
Greens and VOLS did not want
genuine merger of forces, but de-
sired the revolutionary trade
unions to disperse their forces in
the unchanged structure of the re-
formist organization.
IN France, they could not openly
fight against the Communist pro-
gram of trade union unity.
The refornlist leadership's idea
of unity" as applied to the French
trade unions, is being rejected by
more and more tens of thousands
of workers who are uniting their
forces on the basis of struggle for
the defense of the workers condi-
tions, against the encroachment Of
capital and against fascism.
hOOANON1S COllIlltlOllS III FTdI1C6
II go from bad to worse. Entering
the crisis later than other leading
capitalist countries, France is now
going to lower levels in the down
ward swing of its economy. Unem-
ployment, for example. at the end
of 1884 was As per cent higher than
in 1888.
The latest charts and data pub
lished by the Conjuncture Eco
nomique, organ of the French Min
istry of Commerce, show produce
ton is virtually stagnant in such
basic industries as machinery, met
allurgy, building, textiles, leather,
automobiles, rubber, coal and iron
mining. Bankruptcies are increas-
ing The largest of these recently
was the Citroen automobile COM
pany, the Ford of France, the FORE
, most of the autombile plants
in France. The peasants have been
badly hit. The employers, in this
/ situation of aggraVating crisis, are
opening up a greater offensive
against the working class, which, in
/, turn, is met by the greatest signs
, of resistance. The French workers,
both politically and economically.
are hitting back with united fists.
Against wage cuts, strikes are grow
ing, as, for example. the important
! textile strike now on.
: THE slogan of unity of the trade
l unions, which in France means
!, merging the large revolutionary
! trade union center, and its unions
, in almost every field of industry,
with the reformist trade unions, on
the basis of real unity-that is dis
cussion from below, congresses, and