Matignon Accords (1936)
Encyclopedia
The Matignon Agreements (French: Accords de Matignon) were signed on June 7, 1936, at one o'clock in the morning, between the CGPF employers trade union confederation, the CGT trade union and the French state. They were signed during a massively followed general strike
initiated after the election of the Popular Front
in May 1936, which had led to the creation of a left-wing government headed by Léon Blum
(SFIO). Also known as the "Magna Carta
of French Labor", these agreements were signed at the Hôtel Matignon
, official residence of the head of the government, hence their name.
(SFIO) as under-secretary of state to the President of the Council, Jean-Baptiste Lebas (SFIO, Minister of Labour), had started on June 6 at 3 PM, but the pressure from the workers' movement was such that the employers' confederation quickly accepted the unions' terms. A general strike
had been initiated in Le Havre
on 26 May, accompanied by factory occupations to prevent lock outs, and had quickly spread to all of France. More than a million workers were on strike. The social movement immediately followed the electoral victory of the Popular Front, in order to reach this position of force. Interior Minister Roger Salengro
publicly announced the following day the success of the negotiations.
Without having to organize strike
in each factory in order to gain some advantages for them, all of the workers benefited with these agreements of:
Furthermore, Blum's government deposed on June 5 five law projects, prepared by the Minister of Labour Jean-Baptiste Lebas, which were easily adopted during the month. These laws granted:
On June 11, Maurice Thorez
, national secretary of the French Communist Party
(PCF), stated that "one must know how to finish a strike, at the moment that the main points have been obtained." His declaration was published in L'Humanité
, the press organ of the PCF. Alluding to Marceau Pivert
's famous statement, he recalled that "Not everything was possible but the slogan is still: 'Everything for the Popular Front!' 'Everything by the Popular Front'"
Work was resumed at the Renault
factories on June 13 and 15 and in the steelworking industry.
, and re-established by the 16 April 1945 Act passed by the GPRF provisional government.
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
initiated after the election of the Popular Front
Popular Front (France)
The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party , the French Section of the Workers' International and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period...
in May 1936, which had led to the creation of a left-wing government headed by Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
(SFIO). Also known as the "Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
of French Labor", these agreements were signed at the Hôtel Matignon
Hôtel Matignon
The Hôtel Matignon is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the VIIe arrondissement of Paris, France.The address of Hotel Matignon is 57 rue de Varenne, Paris, France.-History:...
, official residence of the head of the government, hence their name.
The May-June general strike and the Matignon agreements
The negotiations, in which participated Benoît Frachon for the CGT, Marx DormoyMarx Dormoy
Marx Dormoy was a French socialist politician, noted for his opposition to the far right.-Early career:Born in Montluçon, he was elected mayor of his native town in 1926, and representative of the Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière to the French National Assembly in 1931 for the Allier...
(SFIO) as under-secretary of state to the President of the Council, Jean-Baptiste Lebas (SFIO, Minister of Labour), had started on June 6 at 3 PM, but the pressure from the workers' movement was such that the employers' confederation quickly accepted the unions' terms. A general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
had been initiated in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
on 26 May, accompanied by factory occupations to prevent lock outs, and had quickly spread to all of France. More than a million workers were on strike. The social movement immediately followed the electoral victory of the Popular Front, in order to reach this position of force. Interior Minister Roger Salengro
Roger Salengro
Roger Henri Charles Salengro was a French politician. He achieved fame as Minister of the Interior during the Popular Front government in 1936...
publicly announced the following day the success of the negotiations.
Without having to organize strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in each factory in order to gain some advantages for them, all of the workers benefited with these agreements of:
- the legal right to strike
- the removal of all obstacles to unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
organization (including the right to have representatives, named délégués du personnel, elected by secret ballotSecret ballotThe secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
, which may not be fired without approval from the labour inspection - inspection du travail -, and thus are protected from pressures by the employers) - and a blanket 7-12 percent wage increase for all workers (it is thus the reverse of deflation, and is an economic policy based on demandDemand- Economics :*Demand , the desire to own something and the ability to pay for it*Demand curve, a graphic representation of a demand schedule*Demand deposit, the money in checking accounts...
) (the female workers in VerdunVerdunVerdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
even succeeded in obtaining a 400% wages increase!)
Furthermore, Blum's government deposed on June 5 five law projects, prepared by the Minister of Labour Jean-Baptiste Lebas, which were easily adopted during the month. These laws granted:
- paid vacations (two weeks - for the first time in France) (voted by the National Assembly on 20 June 1936)
- 40 hour work week paid 48 (adopted by the Assembly on 21 June 1936).
- collective bargainingCollective bargainingCollective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions...
(adopted by the Assembly on 24 June 1936) - the repeal of the 1935 decree-laws concerning the wages of public servants and the taxes on World War I veterans' pensions.
On June 11, Maurice Thorez
Maurice Thorez
thumb|A Soviet stamp depicting Maurice Thorez.Maurice Thorez was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party from 1930 until his death. He also served as vice premier of France from 1946 to 1947....
, national secretary of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF), stated that "one must know how to finish a strike, at the moment that the main points have been obtained." His declaration was published in L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
, the press organ of the PCF. Alluding to Marceau Pivert
Marceau Pivert
Marceau Pivert was a French schoolteacher, trade unionist, Socialist militant and journalist. He was an alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Saint-Cloud.-In the Socialist Party:...
's famous statement, he recalled that "Not everything was possible but the slogan is still: 'Everything for the Popular Front!' 'Everything by the Popular Front'"
Work was resumed at the Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
factories on June 13 and 15 and in the steelworking industry.
Legacy
The délégués du personnel were suppressed under VichyVichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, and re-established by the 16 April 1945 Act passed by the GPRF provisional government.
See also
- Labor law
- Matignon AgreementsMatignon AgreementsMatignon Accords or Matignon Agreements may refer to:*The Matignon Agreements of 1936, an agreement between the French government, employers and labour guaranteeing trade union membership and negotiating rights, a 40-hour working week and paid workers' holidays.*The Matignon Agreements of 1988, an...
- History of the Left in FranceHistory of the Left in FranceThe Left in France at the beginning of the 20th century was represented by two main political parties, the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party and the French Section of the Workers' International , created in 1905 as a merger of various Marxist parties...
- fr:Grèves de mai-juin 1936 en Alsace
- fr:délégué du personnel