Defense of union premises in Carcassonne: press article and intersyndical letter sent to the ministers of labor and the interior

Julie Ferrua and Murielle Guilbert, co-secretaries general of the Solidaires trade union, are signatories of the Tribune “We will not let the far-right mayor attack our trade union and associative freedoms”. In this tribute, published in the newspaper l’Indépendant, the general secretaries of the CFDT, CGT, Solidaires, FSU, UNSA unions, as well as the association the League of Human Rights, ask the National Rally mayor of Carcassonne to “abandon the project targeting the trade union organizations of Aude, to reconsider his position regarding the hosting and funding of the League of Human Rights”.

During the city council meeting on April 30, the new Mayor of Carcassonne announced his intention to end the provision of premises for trade union organizations who had participated in a demonstration the day before against the far-right organized by a collective of young people from Carcassonne (Nous Carcassonne).

This decision, which aims to erase the role of trade unionism in the department’s history and comes after the withdrawal of subsidies from the League of Human Rights and denunciation of a contract benefiting independent press, is an attack on civil society organizations and workers. By targeting trade unions and organizations defending rights and freedoms, the RN city hall clearly shows its ambition to demand allegiance to its ideas at the expense of public interest, violate the rights of all and eliminate all opposition.

The message, a year before the presidential elections, is crystal clear, Carcassonne’s City Hall will be the laboratory of the far-right’s anti-social policy, with a clear doctrine: strong with the weak and weak with the powerful.

In a context of increasing social inequalities, our trade union and associative organizations are essential bulwarks for the defense of the rights of everyone, including workers, precarious workers, unemployed people, and retirees. We cannot accept weakening our organizations, implementing strategies to make them disappear, or attempting to silence their expression, as this is a direct attack on rights and freedoms, the rule of law, and the foundations of our democracy that we cannot accept.

Our national organizations reaffirm total support for the local organizations targeted by the authoritarian policy of the Mayor of Carcassonne

We solemnly request to the Mayor to abandon the project concerning the trade union organizations of Aude, to reconsider his position regarding the hosting and funding of the League of Human Rights.

Signatories:

Marylise Léon, General Secretary of the CFDT Sophie Binet, General Secretary of the CGT Laurent Escure, General Secretary of the UNSA Julie Ferrua and Murielle Guilbert, Co-Secretaries General of Solidaires Caroline Chevégoc, General Secretary of the FSU Nathalie Thé, President of the League of Human Rights

(Note: The content addresses concerns regarding the actions of the Mayor of Carcassonne in relation to trade union and human rights organizations and the response from various unions and associations expressing their opposition.)