The Railway Workers' Federation () is the largest

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing workers on the railways in France.

History

The union was founded in 1917 as the National Federation of Railway Workers of France, the Colonies and the Protectorate Countries, and affiliated to the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). In 1921, many members left to join the United General Confederation of Labour, but they rejoined in 1935, and this took membership from 165,000 to a claimed 320,000. In 1939, union members who refused to denounce the German-Soviet pact were expelled, and in 1942,

Pierre Semard Pierre Semard (15 February 1887 – 7 March 1942) was a trade unionist, secretary general of the federation of railway-workers and leader of the French Communist Party (acting as its secretary general from 1924 to 1928). He was shot in prison by ...

, the union's former leader, was executed by the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

. The union was banned during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but reformed after the war, and in 1946 it had 394,000 members. In 1947, many on the right-wing of the union left to join

Workers' Force The General Confederation of Labor - Workers' Force (, or simply , FO), is one of the five major union confederations in France. In terms of following, it is the third behind the CGT and the CFDT. Force Ouvrière was founded in 1948 by former ...

. The CGT union remained the largest on the railways, and regularly undertook

industrial action Industrial action (British English) or job action (American English) is a temporary show of dissatisfaction by employees—especially a strike or slowdown or working to rule—to protest against bad working conditions or low pay and to increas ...

in defense of pay and conditions. By 1994, the union had 58,822 members. By 2019, this had declined slightly to 42,640.

General Secretaries

:1917: Marcel Bidegaray :1920:

Gaston Monmousseau Gaston René Léon Monmousseau (17 January 1883 – 11 July 1960) was a French railway worker, trade union leader, politician and author, from a rural working-class background. He became an anarcho-syndicalist, then a communist, and played a leadi ...

, Edmond Lévêque, Henri Sirolle and Lucien Midol :1920: Marcel Bidegaray :1921: Adolphe Montagne :1923: Paul Le Guen :1926: Jean Jarrigion :1935:

and Jean Jarrigion :1940: Roger Liaud :1944: Raymond Tournemaine and Gérard Ouradou :1948: Raymond Tournemaine :1953: Robert Hernio :1961:

Georges Séguy Georges Séguy (16 March 1927 – 13 August 2016) was a French trade union leader. Biography Born in Toulouse, Séguy's father was a communist and trade unionist, and Pierre Semard was a family friend. In 1940, Séguy joined the illegal C ...

:1965: Charles Massabieaux :1976: Georges Lanoue :1993: Bernard Thibault :2000: Didier Le Reste :2010: Gilbert Garrel :2017: Laurent Brun

References

External links

* {{Authority control Railway labor unions Trade unions established in 1917 Trade unions in France