[Marxism] Latest update on the situation in Guadeloupe, March 2.

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Dear Friends:

Here is the latest update on the situation in Guadeloupe, based on a 
report issued Monday, March 2nd, at 8 a.m. by Robert Fabert. Here is the 
report:

The largest LKP Strike Assembly to date last night (Sunday, March 1) 
voted to maintain the general strike.

Why?

Because despite the tentative agreement that was reached with the French 
authorities and local employers' associations on Feb. 27 [see below], no 
final agreement has been signed yet -- and also because the French 
authorities and the bosses, based on that tentative agreement, went to 
the media and told the people of Guadeloupe that an agreement had been 
reached, that the strike was over, and that everyone should go back to 
work Monday morning.

The angry crowd at the Assembly said that it is up to the people, who 
organized this general strike for  six weeks, and NOT the government, to 
decide whether the strike continues or it does not continue. They also 
denounced the French authorities for telling the press that the strike 
was over when nothing had been signed; all that existed was a tentative 
agreement.

The Prefect of Guadeloupe announced late last night, in the aftermath of 
the Strike Assembly, that he would bring the final agreed-upon proposal 
to the LKP Strike Collective this morning for their final review and 
approval. There is a meeting scheduled at 6 p.m. with the Prefect to 
sign the agreement, provided nothing has been modified from the previous 
tentative agreement -- which cannot be excluded.

Throughout the day there will be mobilizations and general assemblies of 
the picket line committees, barricade committees, neighborhood 
committees, food distribution committees, cultural committees, etc.

The LKP Strike Collective also has scheduled a meeting with the 
Employers Association to review the final agreement regarding lowering 
the prices on 100 basic staples and other retail items.

There will be a mass assembly of the LKP Strike Collective at 9 p.m. 
tonight to vote on whether the conditions have been met for the workers 
and people to end the general strike. If the authorities don't try to 
pull another fast one, and if the tentative agreement has not been 
modified under pressure from Paris (which, again, is possible), it 
appears that the conditions will have been gathered to end the strike -- 
as the workers and people, through their determined struggle, will have 
won the majority of their demands, including all their main economic 
demands.

*******************

*Notes about the Tentative Agreement*

The first breakthough in the general strike took place on Feb. 24, when 
the local employers' association agreed to a formula that would grant 
increase the monthly minimum wage by 200 euros.

Negotiations with the French government resumed Feb. 26. After a 
marathon session, an agreement granting both the 200 euro minimum wage 
increase, as well as across-the-board-wage increases for workers with 
higher wages was reached in the wee hours of Feb. 27.

The agreement grants a 200 euro monthly increase to workers making the 
minimum wage, or SMIC, and up to 1.4 times the minimum wage. All workers 
making between 1.5 and 1.6 times the minimum wage get a 6% pay increase. 
Workers making 1.7 times the minimum wage or more get a 3% wage increase.

Negotiations continued on Feb. 27 on the remaining core demands of the 
LKP Strike Collective. By the end of the day, the French government 
accepted the large bulk of the workers' demands. The main additional 
demands that were agreed to by the government include the following:

- lowering of cost of 100 basic staples and items

- lowering of all utility costs, including lowering of water costs by 6%

- agreement to increase enrollment in schools and universities to 
Guadeloupans

- subsidies to public transportation to lower costs of public transit

- payment of pensions -- and increased pensions -- for agricultural and 
other workers

- provisions to aid the fishing and agricultural workers and industries.

Many other demands were also agreed to.