Charter of Amiens
Encyclopedia
The Charter of Amiens was adopted at the 9th Congress of the Confédération générale du travail
(CGT) French trade-union, which took place in Amiens
in October 1906. Its main proposal was the separation between the union movement and the political parties. The CGT was then dominated by anarcho-syndicalists who preferred the constitution of an alternate system through the elaboration of workers' union rather than moderate reforms through the electoral path. The motion for the Charter was drafted by Victor Griffuelhes
, general secretary of the CGT, and Émile Pouget
. The Charter was adopted by 830 participants, 8 having voted "no" and 1 abstained, and marked the victory of the current of revolutionary syndicalism in the CGT of the time.
. Immediate goals included reduction of worktime (the 8 hours day) and increase of wages. But the longer term goal was nothingless than "expropriation of the capitalists" through the means of a general strike
. It considered the trade-union to be the future group of production and of social repartition and the basis for a social reorganization — a main view of the syndicalism
movement.
Considering that all employees were submitted to the same exploitation
and alienation
, both material and spiritual, it stated that it was a duty for all of them to belong to a trade-union. This, in turn, was followed by the proclamation of the complete freedom for its members to choose the form of political struggle (and, therefore, any party membership) which it deemed the fitter. In exchange, it requested for the union member not to introduce in the union opinions which it professed outside.
(FO) trade-union, close to the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and then to the French Socialist Party (PS), the CGT has maintained unofficial links with the French Communist Party
(PCF). The CGT, FO, the UNSA
, the Union syndicale Solidaires, the Confédération nationale du travail
(CNT), the FGAAC and the Fédération syndicale unitaire
(FSU) today all claim as theirs the Charter of Amiens. The CNT
-AIT, founded in 1922, is the only one to reject the Charter, alleging that by proclaiming an autonomy between trade-unions and political parties it organizes the submission of the workers' union to parties. Furthermore, the CNT-AIT — French section of the International Workers Association
(IWA) — which qualifies itself as an anarchist communist organization, also criticizes the formulation according to which the trade-union will become the future cell of social organization: in its views, in the event of an overhaul of Capitalism
, the trade-unions will be called to disappear lest they become organizations of control .
Confédération générale du travail
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
(CGT) French trade-union, which took place in Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in October 1906. Its main proposal was the separation between the union movement and the political parties. The CGT was then dominated by anarcho-syndicalists who preferred the constitution of an alternate system through the elaboration of workers' union rather than moderate reforms through the electoral path. The motion for the Charter was drafted by Victor Griffuelhes
Victor Griffuelhes
Victor Griffuelhes was a French socialist and leader of the General Confederation of Labour in France. He was drawn to anarcho-syndicalism and advocated the establishment of socialism through independent trade union action....
, general secretary of the CGT, and Émile Pouget
Émile Pouget
Émile Pouget was a French anarcho-communist, who adopted tactics close to those of anarcho-syndicalism...
. The Charter was adopted by 830 participants, 8 having voted "no" and 1 abstained, and marked the victory of the current of revolutionary syndicalism in the CGT of the time.
Aims
The Charter of Amiens assigned two aims to the workers' movement: the "defense of immediate and daily demands" and the "struggle for a global transformation of society in complete independence from political parties and from the state." By this Charter, the CGT explicitly recognized class struggleClass struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
. Immediate goals included reduction of worktime (the 8 hours day) and increase of wages. But the longer term goal was nothingless than "expropriation of the capitalists" through the means of 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...
. It considered the trade-union to be the future group of production and of social repartition and the basis for a social reorganization — a main view of the syndicalism
Syndicalism
Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and an alternative to state socialism, which uses federations of collectivised trade unions or industrial unions...
movement.
Considering that all employees were submitted to the same exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
and alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
, both material and spiritual, it stated that it was a duty for all of them to belong to a trade-union. This, in turn, was followed by the proclamation of the complete freedom for its members to choose the form of political struggle (and, therefore, any party membership) which it deemed the fitter. In exchange, it requested for the union member not to introduce in the union opinions which it professed outside.
Legacy
The Charter of Amiens has become a cornerstone of the unions' tradition in France and the guarantee of their autonomy from political parties, although after World War II and the creation of the social-democrat Force OuvrièreForce Ouvrière
The General Confederation of Labor - Workers' Force is one of the five major union federations in France. In terms of following, it is the third behind the CGT and the CFDT....
(FO) trade-union, close to the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and then to the French Socialist Party (PS), the CGT has maintained unofficial links with 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). The CGT, FO, the UNSA
UNSA
UNSA may refer to:* Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, a university of about 26000 students in Nice, France.* National University of St Augustin of Arequipa , a university in Arequipa, Peru....
, the Union syndicale Solidaires, the Confédération nationale du travail
Confédération nationale du travail
- History :The CNT-F or National Confederation of Labour is a French anarcho-syndicalist union.It was founded in 1946 by Spanish anarcho-syndicalists in exile, and former members of Confédération Générale du Travail-Syndicaliste Révolutionnaire , its name is derived from the Spanish CNT, the...
(CNT), the FGAAC and the Fédération syndicale unitaire
Fédération Syndicale Unitaire
The Fédération syndicale unitaire is the main trade union in the education sector in France and the largest trade union in the public sector. It has 162,000 members, of whom 88% are teachers....
(FSU) today all claim as theirs the Charter of Amiens. The CNT
Confederación Nacional del Trabajo
The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo is a Spanish confederation of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions affiliated with the International Workers Association . When working with the latter group it is also known as CNT-AIT...
-AIT, founded in 1922, is the only one to reject the Charter, alleging that by proclaiming an autonomy between trade-unions and political parties it organizes the submission of the workers' union to parties. Furthermore, the CNT-AIT — French section of the International Workers Association
International Workers Association
The International Workers' Association is an international federation of anarcho-syndicalist labour unions and initiatives based primarily in Europe and Latin America....
(IWA) — which qualifies itself as an anarchist communist organization, also criticizes the formulation according to which the trade-union will become the future cell of social organization: in its views, in the event of an overhaul of Capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, the trade-unions will be called to disappear lest they become organizations of control .
See also
- Trade unions in France
- 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...
- International Anarchist Congress of AmsterdamInternational Anarchist Congress of AmsterdamThe International Anarchist Congress of Amsterdam took place from 24 August to 31 August 1907. It gathered delegates from 14 different countries, among which important figures of the anarchist movement, including Errico Malatesta, Luigi Fabbri, Benoît Broutchoux, Pierre Monatte, Amédée Dunois, Emma...
(1907, in particular Pierre MonattePierre MonattePierre Monatte was a French trade unionist who worked in the printing industry . He was the responsible of the Confédération générale du travail at the beginning of the 20th century, and founded its journal La Vie ouvrière on 5 October 1909...
's speech) - Politics of FrancePolitics of FranceFrance is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
- Anarchism in FranceAnarchism in FranceThinker Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who grew up during the Restoration was the first self-described anarchist. French anarchists fought in the Spanish Civil War as volunteers in the International Brigades. French anarchism reached its height in the late 19th century...
External links
- Text of the Charter
- Text of the Charter
- Compte rendu sténographique du congrès d'Amiens (séances concernant la question des rapports du syndicalisme et de la politique)
- sommaire de Mil neuf cent. Revue d'histoire intellectuelle, n° 24, 2006, intitulé : "Le syndicalisme révolutionnaire. La Charte d'Amiens a cent ans"