The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-12-11
French Workers
Tire of Co m m i e
Force d Strikes

Paris (LPA) - More and more
workers returned to their jobs in
France last week, altho there was
no let-up officially in the number
Of unions on strike. Northern and
central France, including the Paris
area, was the heart of the back-to-
work tendency as coal miners, rail
way workers, and textile mill en-
ployes tired of strikes that seemed
increasingly political Altho many
workers in southern France remain
ed ON strike, the Communist at
tempts to create a general strike
situation in these sections failed.
Government action against sabo-
tage increased since the passage
of emergency legislation by the
Chamber of Deputies. Key provi-
sions in the six-months Legislation
are authorization of the Gallup of
$4,000 reservists, new criminal pen
alties for sabotage, and prohibi-
tions upon the use of coercion or
false statements to persuade work
ers to leave their jobs.
AS popular support for the
strikes declined Communist inspired
sabotage increases. Statements in
the Chamber of Deputies by the
minister of war and the minister
of the interior made it clear that
virtually none of the sabotage that
has been committed was by strik-
ing workers against their own work
places, but the calculated violence.
of Communist flying-squads.
Several of Prime Minister Robert
Schuman's original proposals We're
modified or dropped out of the en-
ergency legislation as result of
Socialist opposition to anything
which could be used against legiti-
mate, industrial strikes. Govern
ment spokesmen of both the Social
ist Party and the MRP (liberal Ca
tholic party made it clear that
they sought no action against free
trade unionism, but wanted to as
sist the workers in ridding them
selves of Communist officials.
Leon Jouhaux, veteran leader of
the CGT, principal trade union fed
Grafton, most of whose paid Off
cials are admitted Communists, re-
iterated his refusal and that of the
Force Ouvriere" (anti-CP group
within the CGT) to either partici-
pate in IA general strike or break
off settlement negotiations with the
government. However, the govern
ment's suggested increase in pen
sions, family allowances, and min
imum wages and its proposed cost
of living bonuses, were not high |
enough to enable the anti-Commu-
nists in the CGT to force their ac-
ceptance upon the Communists.
Returning from a month in Mos
cow, Maurice Thorez, chief of the
Communist Party, proclaimed that
''the working class and the people
of France have chosen battle" He
charged that the failure of the gov
ernment to meet the demands of
the strikers was due to American
pressure. The tenor of his speech
prompted speculation as to wheth-
er or not increased violence, bord
ering on civil war, may not be in
store for France before the wave
of strikes is over.
In Paris the Federation of Gov
ernment Employees by less than a
vote of it's total executive
committee decreed a two-day war
ming strike" against the govern
ment. The opposition to any strike
action at this time by several of
it's constituent unions, however, was
expected to render it far less eff
fective than the pro-striike section {
IF the leadership desires.