Frères aux armes! / Pour notre lutte / Pour la victoire de tous les travailleurs ! (Brothers in arms! / For our struggle / victory for all workers!) Such was the refrain of La Varsovienne, a French revolutionary song that was dominant among the communist youth of 68 as well as among today’s rebellion Parisian university students organized by twitter.
When it comes to strike, French have the world-wide reputation to be leading. How many sentences below will sound familiar from anyone who has ever been to France? “French workers are always demonstrating and protesting”, “I have been to Paris once and I was unable to get around because of a railway strike.”
It probably does, especially if you have heard of the recent debate over retirement in France, which led thousands of people to take the streets all over the country for several weeks. So, what is the reason that gives French workers this reputation? Is there anything different that going on
several strikes gives to French workers than other workers in the world? What about American workers, in what way are they different than their French counterparts?
Over the winter break, the French Cultural Center of Boston gathered a panel of specialists in French history and politics in order to find an answer to these questions. 5 university professors from American and British origin debated on the issue, in English. Each has a different area of
specialization for France, whether political, socio-economic history or the place of women in the workforce.
“As for the French view on the matter, it will involve most certainly the public who are encouraged to take part in the discussion,” said Peter Noïnski, the head of cultural programs of French Cultural Center.
Noïnski also underlined the purpose of the panel as to provide answers to these questions by comparing how citizens of both countries express their dissatisfaction with the decisions taken by their government. He continued, “The place of the strike in the French daily is the subject of many issues in the United States.”
At the end of a 2 hour long discussion followed by a cocktail in the French way, the American and British experts agreed on the fact that French and American workers historically evolved from different social dynamics, which compelled the former to be more assertive than the latter. They also acknowledged the negative impact of all existing and ongoing French strikes on economy in France.
UMB students also had various opinions on the issue. Maya Pardo, a junior in music thinks that the French-American contrast comes from the understanding of union cultures in both countries. “France is a social-state. People are so aware of their rights there,” Pardo said.
She also pointed out the current downhill on the number of labor unions in the US. “Some people are even against unions here,” she continued, “They don’t think it s good for the society. Also that people who go to strikes here risk losing their jobs.”
“As far as I am concerned, French have a lot of pride in going on strikes,” said Nicholas Aro, a sophomore in French and Art History. “It is really beyond workers in there. It has roots to the French revolution and Paris Commune”
Aro concluded his words with a smile, “Once I spoke to a French man who said that going on strikes is a national sport in France.”