General Confederation of Labour (France)

The CGT was founded in 1895 in Limoges from the merger of the Fédération des bourses du travail (Federation of Labour Councils) and the Fédération nationale des syndicats (National Federation of Trade Unions). Auguste Keufer was amongst the founders and became the first treasurer. At the end of Henri Krasucki's term (1982–1992), he began to distance himself from the French Communist Party (PCF). His successor, Louis Viannet, did the same, going as far as resigning from the political bureau of the party. In 2023, the CGT was involved in the interunion social movement against pension reform which organized strikes and protests in 300 towns across France, and wrote to Emmanuel Macron requesting negotiations, then, having not been received, mediation and a suspension of the 2023 French pension reform bill. On 18 June 2024, the CGT called for a vote for the New Popular Front (NFP) in the 2024 French legislative elections. with the CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet also personally endorsing the NFP. Céline Verzeletti, a senior CGT member and General Secretary of the Federal Union of State Trade Unions, was nominated by the NFP for Paris's 15th constituency. The decision to endorse the NFP presented a turning point, since while the CGT has regularly called for a vote against the far right, in recent decades it has not called for people to vote for any specific party or bloc, due in part to the CGT's Amiens Charter — which recognizes the independence of trade unions from political parties. == Africa ==

In 1937 CGT began organizing workers in French West Africa. The union's functioning was interrupted by its banning by the Vichy regime, but in 1943-1948 a process of reconstruction took place. The main centers of activity were Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo and the French Soudan. CGT had an upper hand in the Muslim regions in comparison to the rival French Confederation of Christian Workers, who depended on the presence of Catholic communities for its recruitment. CGT emerged as the major trade union force amongst the 100 000 strong organized labour force in Senegal and Mauritania after the Second World War. Within the CGT branches in the region, there was however a growing wish for independence. A leader of CGT in French West Africa, Bassirou Guèye, promoted this idea. At a meeting of the Territorial Union of Trade Unions in Senegal and Mauritania, held in Dakar 11 November – 12 November 1955, the majority of delegates voted for separation from the French CGT. A conference was held in Saint-Louis on 14 January – 15 January 1956 which formed the Confédération générale des travailleurs africains (CGTA), separating the parts of the West African CGT organizations from the French CGT. At the conference 50 out of 67 delegates had voted for separation. In Togo, CGT had 45,100 members in 1948 (65% of organized labour). By 1952 the number had decreased to 34,000 (46% of organized labour). CGT formed a branch in Madagascar in 1936. == Publications ==

The CGT has two publications La Vie Ouvrière, and . ==Affiliated organisations==

Federations Other affiliates • Federal Union of State Trade Unions (UFSE-CGT) • General Union of Engineers, Managers and Technicians CGT (UGICT-CGT) • Confederation of CGT retirees' union (UCR-CGT) • Young CGT • National Committee for the Fight and Defense of the Unemployed Former federations ==Leadership==

General Secretaries ==See also==