Evening star., 1947-12-10
French Strikers Return
To Work, but Renewal
Of Labor Fight Is Seen
BY the Associated Press

of a government ultimatum, and
foreign diplomats said France could
count now on at least a month of
industrial peace to patch up the
damage.
! The CommuniSt-domi Gen.
eral Confederation Of Labor (CGT)
bowed to the governments demands
last night and ordered the strikers
back on the governments terms of
settlement.
About 100000 workers still were
out when the settlement was
reached, but the strike movement
had been collapsing rapidly. Be-
tween 100000 and 100000 men
were idle at its peak.
The foreign diplomats said they
expected a new Communist on
slaught on the nations economy be-
fore bolstering American aid might
make such an attack too late to be
effective.
CGT Reveals Bitterness.
These sources said, however, no
move would be made to engender
widespread strikes at least until
after the first of the year, because,
first, the workers need a few weeks
pay to buy food; second, the men,
ory of this hard-fought strike wave
would be too fresh, and third, the
Christmas holidays would not be a
good time for such activity.
The foreign observers said they
detected deep bittersness in the
CGTS statement bowling to the gov
ernment's terms, particularly in the
charges that the government is re-
dictionary and is toadying to the
Americans. They also noted that
the CGT openly appealed to work.
ers to prepare for future combat
that will be severe"
There were no official figures avail
able on the exact number of work.
ers who returned to their jobs to-
day, but CGT leaders said all went
back.
Stronger Unions Urged.
CGT leaders issued a 2,0OO-word
statement calling for strengthening
of the unions for new struggles. 1t
said many workers went back to
work with death in their hearts"
and because they we're hungry
The government said many of
those who went back to work before
the strikes we're called off did so be-
cause they had become convinced
the Communist leadership was
using the strikes for political pur-
poses.
Ondersecretary of State Low
EFT declared in Washington last
Friday that the Communicated
strikes in both France and Italy
constituted an extension of So
Wet foreign policy.")
The work stoppages, which began
in Marseille November IL, cost
France: Cd at least As dead and
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of in
jured; CD uncounted millions of
francs worth of coal and steel and
other production. They also forced
a change in the government and re-
suited in exchanges of harsh words
and actions by France and the
Soviet Union.
Some Demands Granted.
The terms on which the strikes
were settled granted some of the
CGT's demands, but did not meet
the full extent of an increased mini
mum wage it had asked nor Ats key
demand that wages and prices be
so tied together that price boosts
automatically would bring wage
hikes.
In brief, the terms were:
l. Minimum monthly salaries
boosted from 1000 francs ($58) to
10000 ($8D. The Communists had
demanded 10000 francs $500.
2. A 1,500 franc ($12) cost of liv-
ing allowance to all workers, retro
active to November "a, and in
creased family allowances for larger
families.
g. No pay for days lost on strike.
The strikers had demanded a Is
per cent cost of living bonus and
pay 1Or Gays on Stf1ke.
4. Formulation of new overall
economic policy to balance prices
and salaries until next June.
S. No penalties for strikers, ex-
cept those who violated the new
law against sabotage and obstruc-
ton Of nonstrikers. The labor lead
ers had demanded release of all
those arrested during the strikes.
Rail Service Near Normal.
Railroad service was all but nor
NAL today and metal workers were
rapidly completing a back-to-work
movement they started several days
ago.
Parisians were happy to see gar
bage trucks rolling again after two
weeks of occasional collections by
the army.
An unexploded bomb was discov-
cred during the morning on tracks
between two suburban stations near
Marseille.
In the Lille region some miners,
whose walkout cost France an esti-
mated 100000 tons Of coal, still
were refusing to go back to work.