from a Paris correspondent
Some 2 million workers in government and nationalised industries made November 6th a holiday in France —— bt a holiday with a message: pay attention to Labour's demands! Gas and electricity went off promptly at 8 A.M. in most places and stayed off until 5 P.M, Government offices were empty, No mail was distrimted. Water pressure wont down, Blectric trains stayed in the stations, The Paris underground closed its gates to passengers,
Traffic lights wont dead — which didn't contribute to orderliness as automobiles on streots increased abnormally in number, Air traffic was cut Aj. Garbage went uncollected, Hospitals took care of only serious and omergency cases, Schools went on holiday for the day, TV fans had to ekip their favourite programmes, Some bakeries were in short supply because of roliance on electric mixing machines and gas ovens, Butchers worried as refrigerators warmed up, Restaurants served cold meals, People got unaccustomed work outs because of stopped elevators, A journalist complained about his electric razor not working when he plugged it in.
The absence of gas and olectricty, the dip in water pressure and the difficulties in transportation were scarcely conducive to a high rate of prod— uction among the millions of workers who were not called out. In eastern Frence the miners decided to show their approval of the action by strking.
Thus the whole economic life of the country was affected by what is known in French as perturbations, Such an oxtensive nation-wide demonstration is not the first of its kind and will not likely be the last. How are such actions to be explained? What do they point to?
For some years it has beon observable that the layors of workers hitherto viewed as the vanguard, like the metal workers, have engaged in stru- 6gles of less and leas scope while the workers in tho public sectors, offices, ate,, that is, categories that formerly were the lea t advanced politically have been demonstrating more and more frequently and, in some cases, striking, The explanation is obvious, The metal workers, above all the skilled categories; have turned full employment to advantage, winning wage increases without big struggles, In contrust workers in the so-called “civil service" have not been gotting much response from their employers, the government. Their wage rates are behind schedule and consequently they have been driven more and more frequently and strongly into protest actions,
This could be a base of departure for the workers! movement. Unfortunately the leadership of the workers' union — C.P., traditional reformists, catholics — like the corresponding political leadership do not have the slightest intention of undertaking a struggle that might hurt the regime and eventually set in motion revolutionary consequences, The economic struggles aro not only divorced from a political perspective of that kind, oven as economic struggles they occur only at the lowest level, Thus a day in which demands are publicised by a stoppage must be viewed as 2 kind of preparatory mobilisation, a kind of test run before engaging in more serious struggles for correspondingly more serious sims,
For the trade union leaders, such stoppazes have a different objective, They want to demonstrate, during negoti.ztions with representatives of the government, that the workers oro behind them, They are looking for }-ke ing for themselves, in order to take credit for the small increase which the government may erant ite employees.
In general, for some years, tho workers have responded to these appeals of the trade union leaders, but with rather diminishing enthusiasm, They don't want to disavow their organisations oven if they display great timidity. It is not very likely that the government, which does not hide its hope that the workers will leave their organisations out of weariness, will soo its wishes renlised, At certain times some workers begin strikes almost spontaneou iy, Gg, the miners, such will to resist coming as a shock to the leaders of the trade unions,
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