2009 French Caribbean general strikes
Encyclopedia
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
on 20 January 2009, and spread to neighbouring Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
on 5 February 2009. Both islands are located in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
of the Caribbean. The 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...
s began over the cost of living, the prices of basic commodities, including fuel and food, and demands for an increase in the monthly salaries of low income workers. Stores and gas stations in the private sector, and public sector services including education, public transportation, and sanitation, were temporarily closed in Guadeloupe and Martinique due to the strikes. The strikes ended when the French government agreed to raise the salaries of the lowest paid by €200 and acceded to the strikers' top 20 demands.
The strikes exposed deep ethnic, racial, and class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
tensions and disparities within Guadeloupe and Martinique and devastated the tourism industry of both islands during the high season. The islands were believed to have lost millions of dollars in tourism revenue due to cancelled vacations and closed hotels. Guadeloupe and Martinique had the second and third highest unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rates in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
as of 2007, according to Eurostat
Eurostat
Eurostat is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in Luxembourg. Its main responsibilities are to provide the European Union with statistical information at European level and to promote the integration of statistical methods across the Member States of the European Union,...
.
Background of the strikes
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
are much higher in Guadeloupe and Martinique than in metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
. These high prices are due to the higher costs of importing products into the islands. The average salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
in Guadeloupe, the cause of the first general strike, is lower than in mainland France while the unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and poverty rates on both islands are double those found in metropolitan France
Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica...
. Both islands are supported by subsidies from metropolitan France.
Four French overseas territories have the highest unemployment rates in the European Union as of 2007 – Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
. Guadeloupe also has the highest youth unemployment rate in the European Union, with 55.7% in the 15-to-24-years age group unemployed.
The structure of the economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
of the French Caribbean
French Caribbean
The term French Caribbean varies in meaning with its usage and frame of reference. This ambiguity makes it very different from the term French West Indies, which refers to the specific, formal French possessions in the Caribbean region...
, a legacy of the colonial era, complicated the 2009 crisis. Most of Guadeloupe's and Martinique's largest land and business asset
Asset
In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset...
s are still controlled by the "béké
Béké
Béké or beke is a Creole term to describe a descendant of the early European, usually French, settlers in the French Antilles.-Origin:The origin of the term is not clear and several explanations have been proposed. It could be a word from the Igbo language where it describes a European...
", the ethnically French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, white European descendants of the islands' settlers. The békés' ancestors had been the islands' colonists and slave holders. The majority of the Guadeloupean and Martiniquean populations, who are of African or mixed race descent, live in comparative (to the békés) poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. For example, the békés of Martinique comprise just 1% of the island's 401,000 population, yet they control most of the island's industries.
The residents of both Guadeloupe and Martinique are considered to be full French citizens. The Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
is the official currency on both islands. The government and day-to-day decisions affecting both islands are made in Paris, located thousands of miles away. Working families, especially lower-income families, have complained that it is difficult to pay for basic necessities due to the high cost of living. 70% of residents in Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, Guadeloupe's largest city, currently reside in public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
.
The islands are also afflicted by a number of other societal problems. The homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
rate in Guadeloupe is four times higher than that of mainland France. Protesters in Guadeloupe and Martinique accused the French government of ignoring their economic and political concerns in the face of the looming global financial crisis of 2008–2009.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
on 20 January 2009. An umbrella group of approximately fifty labour union and other associations known in the local Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole
Antillean Creole is a creole language with a vocabulary based on French. It is spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. Its grammar and vocabulary also include elements of Carib and African languages. Antillean Creole is related to Haitian Creole, but has a number of distinctive features; they are...
as the Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon
Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon
Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon, or LKP, is an umbrella group of approximately trade unions and social movements in Guadeloupe, which spearheaed the general strike beginning in January 2009.- Name :...
(LKP) called for a €200 (US$260) monthly pay increase for the island's low income workers. The protesters proposed that authorities "lower business taxes as a top up to company finances" to pay for the €200 pay raises. Employers and business leaders in Guadeloupe said that they could not afford the salary increase.
Approximately 50,000 Guadeloupeans were reported to have taken part in the demonstrations. The Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon
Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon
Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon, or LKP, is an umbrella group of approximately trade unions and social movements in Guadeloupe, which spearheaed the general strike beginning in January 2009.- Name :...
(LKP), which launched the protests, is also known as the "Stand up against exploitation" in English or the "Collectif contre l'exploitation outrancière" in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
The government of France sent the Junior Minister of Overseas France
Minister of Overseas France
The Minister of Overseas France is a cabinet member in the Government of France responsible for overseeing French overseas departments and territories .The position is currently held by Brice Hortefeux, who is also the Minister of the Interior...
Yves Jégo
Yves Jégo
Yves Jégo is a French politician who was appointed Secretary of State for Overseas in the government of François Fillon on March 18, 2008. He was replaced by Marie-Luce Penchard on June 23, 2009 and was not given another portfolio...
to Guadeloupe to negotiate with disgruntled employees and protesters. He proposed a deal to increase the salaries of 45,000 Guadeloupean workers by about $300. However, Jégo triggered much criticism among Guadeloupean strikers when he suddenly returned to Paris on Monday 9 February for a crisis meeting with French Prime Minister François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
.
Jégo's departure for the meeting in Paris with Prime Minister Fillon and other ministers was denounced by union leaders as a sign of "contempt" for LKP and their supporters during a time of crisis
Crisis
A crisis is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society...
. Demonstrations erupted across Guadeloupe in response to Jégo's trip to France. More than 10,000 people marched in Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, the largest city in Guadeloupe, while an additional 1,500 protesters gathered in Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, an overseas region and department of France located in the Lesser Antilles...
, the capital city. Protesters chanted, "la Gwadloup se tan nou, la Gwadloup a pa ta yo, yo peke fe sa yo vle an peyi an nou", which translates to "Guadeloupe is ours, it is not theirs, they will not do what they want in our country." Demonstrators forced the closure of local stores and businesses in those cities. However, the stores reopened as soon as the protesters passed by.
Jégo returned to Guadeloupe (and Martinique) later in the week, but Guadeloupean protesters remained angered by his perceived slight. A leader of the LKP, Élie Domota
Élie Domota
Élie Domota is a trade union leader from Guadeloupe, spokesman of Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon or LKP and general secretary of the UGTG, the main trade union in Guadeloupe...
, told France Inter
France Inter
France Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
radio that, "The mediators
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
have nothing new to tell us. They came supposedly to bring the parties closer together but they know nothing about the situation here. We are saying that the state has to help small Guadeloupe businesses to develop, to have access to bank credits, and also to pay for our wage
Wage
A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...
increases." Jégo's original proposal, which would have increased the salaries of at least 45,000 workers by nearly US$300 per month, quickly fell apart. The unions demanded that the government alleviate extra cost by slashing payroll tax
Payroll tax
Payroll tax generally refers to two different kinds of similar taxes. The first kind is a tax that employers are required to withhold from employees' wages, also known as withholding tax, pay-as-you-earn tax , or pay-as-you-go tax...
es. The French government flatly rejected the idea of cutting payroll taxes. The LKP thus suspended negotiations with mediators on Thursday 12 February 2009.
George Pau-Langevin
George Pau-Langevin
George Pau-Langevin is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the city of Paris, and is a member of the Socialist Party and of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche parliamentary group.Pau-Langevin was born in Guadeloupe.-References:*...
, a French Socialist MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
who was born in Guadeloupe but represents a portion of Paris, said that Guadeloupeans were not just protesting low incomes, but also "the indecent profits
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
of big fuel and import-export companies." Guadeloupean deputy Victorin Lurel
Victorin Lurel
Victorin Lurel is a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French National Assembly in 2002 and is also the current head of the Regional council of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. His term began on 22 April 2004 and got renewed on 14 March 2010.-External links:...
denounced the high price of fuel on the island as a "scandal."
The main shipping container
Shipping container
A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes...
terminal
Container terminal
A container terminal is a facility where cargo containers are transshipped between different transport vehicles, for onward transportation. The transshipment may be between container ships and land vehicles, for example trains or trucks, in which case the terminal is described as a maritime...
at the port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
in Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
was closed and barricaded by protesters. Most Guadeloupean banks, schools, and government offices remained closed throughout the duration of the strike. All of Guadeloupe's 115 gas stations were closed in response to the strike. The strikes resulted in sporadic power outages and limited running water as utility workers walked off their jobs to join the protests. Supermarkets remained closed, and food imports were halted.
The strikes hit at the height of Guadeloupe's main tourism season. Guadeloupe depends on tourists, especially from France, for a significant portion of its economic income. Several hotels closed temporarily and charter flights from France and other parts of the Caribbean were canceled. Club Méditerranée, known more widely as Club Med
Club Med
Club Méditerranée , commonly known as Club Med, is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. It is considered the original all-inclusive resort.-Foundation:...
, closed its main hotel on Guadeloupe in late January. Thousands of French tourists canceled their vacations to Guadeloupe as a result of the strike.
Escalation
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...
on Guadeloupe escalated into rioting on Monday, February 16, 2009. Protesters clashed in several municipalities across the island, including the largest city, Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, and the northern town of Sainte-Rose
Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe
Sainte-Rose is a commune in the department of Guadeloupe. It is the second largest commune of Guadeloupe, in terms of area, after Petit-Bourg. Sainte-Rose lies on the coast of the island of Basse-Terre.-References:*...
.
Guadeloupe's main airport, Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport
Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport or Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport is an airport serving Pointe-à-Pitre on the island of Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe. The airport is located in Abymes, north-northeast of Pointe-à-Pitre. It is the main hub for Air Caraïbes and Air Antilles Express. It is the...
, was closed because debris was thrown on the runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
, causing American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
to cancel all flights. Cars and trees were set on fire in the centre of Pointe-à-Pitre. A group of about sixty protesters clashed with two squadrons of police, who responded by firing tear gas. Police arrested approximately fifty people after protesters threw stones at them as the police tried to remove makeshift barricades in Pointe-à-Pitre. Most of those who were detained were later released after large crowds gathered outside the city's main police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
. Protesters wearing hooded sweatshirts burned pallet
Pallet
A pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
s and trashcans to block roads around the southern town of Le Gosier
Le Gosier
Le Gosier is the third most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the south side of the island of Grande-Terre, and is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest conurbation in Guadeloupe.-External links:*...
. Victorin Lurel
Victorin Lurel
Victorin Lurel is a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French National Assembly in 2002 and is also the current head of the Regional council of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. His term began on 22 April 2004 and got renewed on 14 March 2010.-External links:...
, the Socialist leader of the regional council of Guadeloupe, described the situation on Guadeloupe as "on the verge of revolt." French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Alliot-Marie
Michèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie, born 10 September 1946 and nicknamed MAM, is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement . A member of all but one right-wing governments of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, she was the first woman in France to hold the portfolios of Defense , the...
called for "calm, responsibility and restraint."
Armed "youths" manning a makeshift roadblock shot and killed a local union representative in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre just after midnight on Wednesday, February 18, 2009. The victim, Jacques Bino
Jacques Bino
Jacques Bino was a Guadeloupean tax agent, activist and trade union official and representative. Bino was the first person killed during violence associated with the 2009 French Caribbean general strikes....
, a 50-year-old tax agent and union member who was returning home from protests elsewhere, was the first person killed during the strike. Bino's car was hit three times by 12-gauge Brenneke
Brenneke
Brenneke GmbH is a German manufacturer of ammunition and bullets, based in Langenhagen, Lower Saxony.The company was founded by Wilhelm Brenneke in 1895 and is currently owned and run by his great-grandson, Dr. Peter Mank....
-style shotgun slug
Shotgun slug
A shotgun slug is a heavy lead projectile, that may have pre-cut rifling, intended for use in a shotgun and often used for hunting large game. The first effective shotgun slug was introduced by Wilhelm Brenneke in 1898, and his design remains in use today...
s. Several police officers were also injured in the overnight violence. Unions leading the strikes called for a deescalation of violence on the island. Elie Domota, a leader of the LKP, told protesters, "Don't put your life in danger – don't endanger the lives of others."
Jacques Bangou
Jacques Bangou is a Guadeloupean politician. He is the current incumbent mayor of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe's main city....
, reported that three policemen were wounded by gunfire in the Cite Henri IV section of the city. Police fired tear gas to break up rioters, but Mayor Bangou told the AFP that there were still "exchanges of gunfire" in the neighborhood. A correspondent for AFP reported hearing more "blasts" in the city just before 0400 GMT on Wednesday. Elsewhere, looters attacked a shopping center and ransacked a perfumery and a tire store. A number of police officers were also injured when a group of up to 100 youths "rampaged" though the commercial district
Commercial district
A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is commercial activities , as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an industrial zone, or other types of neighbourhoods...
of Destrelland in the town of Baie-Mahault
Baie-Mahault
Baie-Mahault is the second most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe after Abymes The extensive Zoning Industriel of Jarry, in Baie-Mahault is far the most industrialized communes in the islands and the largest industrial park in the Lesser Antilles.It is...
and fired guns at police, according to Baie-Mahault's mayor, Ary Chalus
Ary Chalus
Ary Chalus is a Guadeloupean politician. Chalus is the current incumbent mayor of Baie-Mahault as of 2010.-References:...
.
More than 500 French police officers arrived in Guadeloupe on February 19 in an attempt to quell the ongoing violence following Bino's death. The deployment occurred after a third straight night of violence. Dozens of police officers landed in the southern town of Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe
Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe
Sainte-Anne is a city in the southern part of Grande-Terre, considered by some to be one of the most touristic towns of Guadeloupe ....
, where protesting youths stormed and occupied the town's city hall. Sainte-Anne Mayor Richard Yacou said that the city hall was not damaged, but nearby businesses in the town were looted and burned. Rioter also fired weapons at police and burned at least five stores and restaurants in Le Gosier
Le Gosier
Le Gosier is the third most populated commune in the French overseas region and department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is located on the south side of the island of Grande-Terre, and is part of the urban area of Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest conurbation in Guadeloupe.-External links:*...
. Police dismantled the barricades leading to the main airport, which allowed tourists to leave the island.
Negotiations resume
Victorin LurelVictorin Lurel
Victorin Lurel is a politician from Guadeloupe who was elected to the French National Assembly in 2002 and is also the current head of the Regional council of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. His term began on 22 April 2004 and got renewed on 14 March 2010.-External links:...
, the president of Guadeloupe's regional council, demanded that the French government stop the violence and address underlying tensions. In response to the riots, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a meeting of the elected leaders of the French overseas territories "to respond to the anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
, the worry and a certain form of despair of our compatriots overseas."
On February 19, it was reported that the French government had offered to increase low earners' income by almost €200, in line with unions' demands. Negotiations between the government and the LKP were suspended on Friday, February 25, partially in response to the funeral of Jacques Bino over the weekend. Talks resumed the following Monday. Representatives of the LKP met with French officials and business leaders in the city of Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
. Outside hundreds of demonstrators gathered, chanting, "We’re here to negotiate" and "Guadeloupe belongs to us, it's not theirs."
Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
beginning on 5 February 2009. Protesters paralysed Martinique's capital city, Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
. An estimated 11,000 people had taken part in the demonstrations on Martinique in the first seven days of the strike, according to the local police. Martiniquean unions disagreed with the estimates, arguing that the protesters had numbered at least 25,000 individuals. Demonstrators carried pro-trade union
Trade union
A 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...
signs and wore red shirts, representing the official color of the local unions.
Protesters in Martinique demanded a monthly salary increase of nearly US$580 for all workers earning minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
on the island. They also called for a reduction in monthly electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and water bills for Martinique residents.
Government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and transportation leaders reportedly agreed to reduce freight costs. In response, business leaders on Martinique agreed to lower the prices of 100 basic products, including food, by 20%.
Martiniquean residents were reportedly shopping only at small, family-run grocery stores, as most large stores remained closed during the protests. Demonstrators were reported to have stormed most major chain supermarkets and forced them to close. Gas stations, which were closed in response to the strike, were serving only medical and emergency workers.
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
François-Xavier Bourges, the police chief of Martinique, said that ten people had been arrested for stealing gasoline or looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
. France deployed 130 riot police from mainland France to Martinique on 12 February 2009, to "ensure that order is maintained."
The tourism industry on Martinique grew increasingly impatient with the strikers and the lack of basic services. Benoit Le Cesne, the president of Martinique's hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
association, expressed concern over the potential negative effects on the tourism industry, "There are basically no more supplies, neither of gas nor food, and laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
services are no longer operating. If this continues, professionals will no longer be able to guarantee services promised to tourists." Unlike in Guadeloupe, the Club Med
Club Med
Club Méditerranée , commonly known as Club Med, is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. It is considered the original all-inclusive resort.-Foundation:...
Buccaneer's Creek resort in Martinique remained open through the strike.
On Monday, February 16, protesters allowed 28 of Martinique's 85 gas stations to reopen and be resupplied. Residents and tourists lined up for hours to fill their cars' gas tanks. However, all small businesses who had reopened over the weekend were forced to close again. Protesters also blocked industrial areas of the island and the city centre in Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
.
On Thursday, February 20, 2009, Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.-Geography:...
Mayor Serge Letchimy
Serge Letchimy
Serge Letchimy is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the island of Martinique, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche. Letchimy is a member of the Martinican Progressive Party , or Parti progressiste martiniquais...
announced the cancellation of Martinique's annual four-day Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
citing the ongoing general strike and the death of union activist Jacques Bino on neighboring Guadeloupe. Martinican police had criticized Letchimy's decision to hold the Carnival, saying that they did not have enough time to prepare due to the strike. The Carnival would have begun on February 22. The annual carnival usually attracts 50,000 people to Fort-de-France. It was the first time in history that the festival had been cancelled.
Martiniquan racial tensions
The protests in Martinique began to take on racial and class undertones due to the economic stresses. The békés, descendants of French European settlers, continue to hold most of the island's industrial capacity.Racial tensions rose during the first week of February after an hour long documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, entitled The last masters of Martinique (Les derniers maîtres de la Martinique in French), was broadcast on a French television channel. The premise of the documentary was that the ethnically white French community had continued to dominate Martinique's economy
Economy of Martinique
The economy of Martinique is based on trade. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France...
throughout its history. Tensions were especially inflamed when a French businessman, Alain Huygues-Despointes, was quoted as saying that historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s should explore "the positive aspects of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
" and that Martinique's mixed-race families lacked "harmony." Following those statements, Martinique's Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
Ange Mancini
Ange Mancini
Ange Mancini is the French intelligence national coordinator.-Biography:His father was a bricklayer from Italy. In 1963, he started a career in the National Police. In 1983, he served as the head of the Service Régional de Police Judiciaire of Ajaccio. In 1985, he created the Recherche Assistance...
, who had been renting a home from Huygues-Despointes, announced that he had terminated a lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
agreement with Huygues-Despointes and had moved to a new residence. The French government announced that it would open a criminal investigation into Huygues-Despointes following his controversial remarks.
On Friday 13 February 2009, approximately 2,000 protesters marched while chanting slogans against Martinique's béké minority. The marchers, who were predominantly of the African majority descent, chanted, "Martinique is ours, not theirs!"
French government reaction
French President Nicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
did not mention those events in his one hour and a half television talk of 5 February 2009. He acknowledged later the grievances of the strikers in his first remarks on the crisis, "There cannot be a two-speed society in which one part gets richer while the other stagnates and depends on benefits."
Sarkozy ordered the government on 13 February 2009, to begin a review of France's policies towards its overseas territories. Sarkozy simultaneously announced the creation of a new government council to review policy toward all French overseas territories, a promise he had made during the presidential campaign of 2007. He called for a "distribution of riches" (i.e. distribution of wealth
Distribution of wealth
The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It differs from the distribution of income in that it looks at the distribution of ownership of the assets in a society, rather than the current income of members of that society.-Definition of...
) to alleviate the societal and economic ills afflicting Guadeloupe and Martinique. French government ministers were asked to propose new long-term measures intended to modernise and stimulate the economies of both islands. Sarkozy suggested that the government may open up the islands' economies to more economic competition, but did not appear to strongly support the wage increases demanded by protesters, saying "We should beware of false good ideas for a short-term end to the conflict.
Sarkozy sought to reassure residents that the government was not ignoring their concerns, saying "Guadeloupe and Martinique are part of France" and that the islands' residents "have the sentiment
Sentiment
Sentiment can refer to activity of five material senses mistaking them as transcendental:*Feelings and emotions...
that they are not always heard. We should continue to fight, every day, so that the country makes a larger place for those who represent the diversity of France."
Ending the strikes: the Jacques Bino Accord
The strikes ended on March 4, 2009, when the French government agreed to raise the salaries of the lowest paid by €200 and granted the LKP their top 20 demands. The agreement was named the "Jacques Bino Accord" to commemorate the union activist killed during the strike. According to the Australian Green Left WeeklyGreen Left Weekly
Green Left Weekly is an Australian radical left-wing newspaper, written by progressive activists to "present the views excluded by the big business media". It was published by the Democratic Socialist Perspective from its inception in 1990 until January 2010, when the DSP merged into the Socialist...
, 30,000 people marched through the streets of Pointe-à-Pitre on March 7 to celebrate the victory.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
visited Martinique and Guadeloupe in June 2009, as part of an effort to heal the rifts caused by the strikes. While ruling out full independence, which he said was desired neither by France nor by Martinique, Sarkozy offered Martiniquans a referendum on the island's future status and degree of autonomy.
During his visit to Guadeloupe, Sarkozy likewise asserted that "Guadeloupe is French, and will remain French." LKP representatives refused to meet him. LKP calls for anti-Sarkozy demonstrations met with little response, with no more than 1,000 people attending.
Other French protests
A coalitionCoalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
of labour unions in Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, a French overseas region in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
located thousands of miles from Guadeloupe and Martinique, announced their own general strike scheduled for 5 March 2009, in support of the Caribbean strikes. An alliance of unions in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
, which is located in South America, also threatened to strike, saying their workers suffered the same low wages and low quality of life as those in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Martine Aubry
Martine Aubry
Martine Aubry is a French politician. She has been the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party since November 2008 and Mayor of Lille since March 2001...
, the leader of the French Socialist Party, warned of the risk that the protests could spread further to mainland France in an interview with Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
. Following the settlement ending the strikes, trade unions in the French mainland were reported to "have rejected the idea of trying to bring about in mainland France what has happened in Guadeloupe". Far-left leader Olivier Besancenot
Olivier Besancenot
Olivier Besancenot is a French far left political figure and trade unionist, and the founding main spokesperson of the New Anticapitalist Party from 2009 to 2011....
, however, was happy to cite the strikes in Guadeloupe as an inspiration and "an example to reflect on and follow".