‘ON THE EVE of a crucial election for our Republic,’ the CGT French trade union federation warned of the ‘alarming consequences for our freedoms if the extreme right were to come to power’.
The CGT warned: ‘If it comes to power, the far right will attack all counter-powers, starting with the trade union organisations.
‘However, freedom of association is a fundamental right enshrined in law since 1884.
‘As it has proven throughout history and again recently in the United States and Brazil, the extreme right does not respect democracy and once in power, she does everything not to give it back.
‘Proof that the RN is lying to you and is not in the democratic field, it is ready to undermine trade union freedoms and it does not hide it.
‘The RN hates the CGT and wants to control or even muzzle fundamental freedoms such as freedom of the press, justice, etc.
‘The far right, a great friend of employers and the richest, does not hide the fact that in its programme several measures aim to weaken the unions which defend workers:
- reduce employers’ obligations in terms of democracy in companies;
- prevent foreigners from voting or being elected to their workplaces.
‘They even go so far as to propose the elimination of state subsidies to unions while at the same time, the RN is being fed public subsidies and has even been condemned on appeal for abuse of social assets.
‘The RN in power will be the enemy of the workers
‘Largely commissioned by employers’ organisations, the RN in power could take over the reform of the labour code already imagined by Macron and also modify labour legislation.’
France was yesterday voting in one of its most significant elections in years, with the far right hoping for a historic victory, but with political stalemate predicted by pundits to the more likely result.
Buoyed by its resounding success in the first round of the snap legislative elections, France’s far-right National Rally party is hoping to secure an absolute majority in the second round.
Before it can achieve this, however, party leader Jordan Bardella will have to fend off both the leftist New Popular Front and President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble coalition.
After the RN’s first-round victory in snap parliamentary elections last Sunday, more than 200 rival candidates dropped out to give others a better chance of defeating the far right.
Voting began in mainland France at 08:00 (06:00 GMT) yesterday with the first exit polls set to be released 12 hours later.
French interior minister Gérald Darmanin deployed 30,000 police across France and said 5,000 police would be on duty in Paris and its surrounding areas to ‘ensure that the radical right and radical left do not take advantage of the situation to cause mayhem’.
