Louis Viannet (4 March 1933 – 22 October 2017) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

trade union leader. Born in

Vienne, Isère Vienne (; ) is a town in southeastern France, located south of Lyon, at the confluence of the Gère and the Rhône. It is the fourth-largest commune in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture alongside La Tour-du-Pin. Vienne w ...

, Viannet began training as a controller for the

Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (), also known as P&T, P et T and PTT, was the French administration of postal services and telecommunications, founded in 1879 during the Third Republic. The French PTT pioneered the virtual circuit varian ...

(PTT). During the strikes of 1953, he was inspired to join the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). He completed his training, and his compulsory military service, then returned to work for the PTT in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. In 1962, he was elected as secretary of his local union of PTT workers, then in 1967, began working full-time for the National Federation of PTT Workers. He was elected as deputy general secretary of the union in 1972, also winning a place on the executive of the CGT, then as general secretary in 1979. In 1982, Viannet began working full-time in the CGT office, as director of ''

La Vie Ouvrière LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'', the federation's weekly newspaper. He was also elected to the bureau of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

(PCF). Within the party, he was regarded as an orthodox figure, whereas the federation's general secretary,

Henri Krasucki Henri Krasucki (2 September 1924 in Wołomin, Poland – 24 January 2003 in France) was a Politics of France, French trade-unionist, former secretary general of the General Confederation of Labour (France), General Confederation of Labour (CGT) ...

, was seen to be becoming more moderate, and distancing himself from the PCF. In 1992, Viannet was elected to succeed Krasucki but, contrary to expectations, he continued Krasucki's approach. In 1995, the CGT left the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established on October 3, 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the Int ...

, in order to join the social democratic

European Trade Union Confederation The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and ...

, and in 1996, he resigned from the bureau of the PCF, while still remaining on its national council. Under Viannet's leadership, membership of the CGT increased, and it placed first in the labour court election of 1997. He stood down from his union posts in 1999. In retirement, he suffered from poor health, but spent much of his time hunting. In 2015, he intervened in the crisis in the CGT, calling on general secretary Thierry Lepaon to resign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viannet, Louis 1933 births 2017 deaths French Communist Party members French trade union leaders People from Vienne, Isère