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The Matignon Agreements (French: ''Accords de Matignon'') were signed on 7 June 1936, between the Confédération générale de la production française (CGPF)
employers' organization An employers' organization or employers' association is a collective organization of manufacturers, retailers, or other employers of wage labor. Employers' organizations seek to coordinate the behavior of their member companies in matters of mutual ...
, the CGT
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
and the French state. They were signed during a massively followed
general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...
initiated after the election of the
Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...
in May 1936, which had led to the creation of a left-wing government headed by
Léon Blum André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of French Socialist le ...
( SFIO). Also known as the "
Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by t ...
of French Labor", these agreements were signed at the Hôtel Matignon, official residence of the head of the government, hence their name.


May–June general strike and agreements

The negotiations, in which participated Benoît Frachon for the CGT, Marx Dormoy (SFIO) as under-secretary of state to the President of the Council,
Jean-Baptiste Lebas Jean-Baptiste Lebas (; 24 October 1878 – 10 March 1944) was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Third Republic, who served twice as minister under Léon Blum’s governments. He was mayor of Rou ...
(SFIO, Minister of Labour), had started on 6 June at 3 PM, but the pressure from the
workers' movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...
was such that the employers' confederation quickly accepted the unions' terms. A
general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coa ...
had been initiated in
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
on 26 May, accompanied by factory occupations to prevent lock outs, and had quickly spread to all of France. More than a million workers were on strike. The social movement immediately followed the electoral victory of the Popular Front, in order to reach this position of force. Interior Minister
Roger Salengro Roger Henri Charles Salengro (30 May 1890, in Lille – 18 November 1936, in Lille) was a French politician. He achieved fame as Minister of the Interior during the Popular Front (France), Popular Front government in 1936. He committed suicide a ...
publicly announced the following day the success of the negotiations. Without having to organize strike in each factory in order to gain some advantages for them, all of the
workers The workforce or labour force is a concept referring to the pool of human beings either in employment or in unemployment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic reg ...
benefited with these agreements of: *the legal
right to strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the In ...
*the removal of all obstacles to union organization (including the right to have representatives, named '' délégués du personnel'', elected by
secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vo ...
, which may not be fired without approval from the labour inspection - ''inspection du travail'' - and thus are protected from pressures by the employers *and a blanket 7-12 percent wage increase for all workers (it is thus the reverse of
deflation In economics, deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services. Deflation occurs when the inflation rate falls below 0% (a negative inflation rate). Inflation reduces the value of currency over time, but sudden deflatio ...
, and is an economic policy based on
demand In economics, demand is the quantity of a good that consumers are willing and able to purchase at various prices during a given time. The relationship between price and quantity demand is also called the demand curve. Demand for a specific item ...
) (the female workers in
Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
even succeeded in obtaining a 400% wages increase) Furthermore, Blum's government deposed on 5 June five law projects, prepared by the Minister of Labour Jean-Baptiste Lebas, which were easily adopted during the month. These laws granted: *paid vacations (two weeks - for the first time in France) (voted by the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...
on 20 June 1936) * 40-hour work week paid 48 (adopted by the Assembly on 21 June 1936). *
collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The ...
(adopted by the Assembly on 24 June 1936) *the repeal of the 1935 decree-laws concerning the wages of public servants and the taxes on World War I veterans' pensions. On 11 June, Maurice Thorez, national secretary of the
French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European ...
(PCF), stated that "one must know how to finish a strike, at the moment that the main points have been obtained." His declaration was published in ''
L'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...
'', the press organ of the PCF. Alluding to Marceau Pivert's famous statement, he recalled that "Not everything was possible but the slogan is still: 'Everything for the Popular Front!' 'Everything by the Popular Front'" French: ''"il faut savoir terminer une grève, dès l'instant où les revendications essentielles ont été obtenues''".. "''Tout n'est pas possible mais le mot d'ordre reste Tout pour le front populaire! Tout par le Front populaire!"''. Work was resumed at the
Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
factories on 13 and 15 June and in the steelworking industry.


Legacy

The ''délégués du personnel'' were suppressed under
Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...
, and re-established by the 16 April 1945 Act passed by the GPRF provisional government.


References


See also

* Interwar France *
French Left The Left in France (french: gauche française) was represented at the beginning of the 20th century by two main political parties, namely the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party and the French Section of the Workers' Internationa ...
* Matignon Agreements (disambiguation) *'' fr:Grèves de mai-juin 1936 en Alsace'' *'' fr:délégué du personnel'' {{Authority control Labor disputes in France 1936 labor disputes and strikes 1936 in France French labour law Treaties concluded in 1936 Treaties entered into force in 1936 Treaties of the French Third Republic