Renewal at the CGT. At the end of the 53rd congress of the General Confederation of Labour, Sophie Binet, 41, becomes the new general secretary of the union. A surprise for all. Until now, Marie Buisson, supported by Philippe Martinez, and Céline Verzeletti, co-secretary general of the Federal Union of State-CGT Trade Unions (UFSE) were expected to head the union. But at the end of a week of internal heartbreak, Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the General Union of Engineers, Executives and Technicians CGT (Ugict-CGT) won the vote of nearly 1,000 union delegates.
This former principal education adviser (CPE) at the vocational high school in Marseille and that of Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) from 2008 to 2010, born in 1982, becomes this Friday the first woman to take up this position in 128 years of existence of the CGT. Especially since Sophie Binet, “a young feminist woman, recognized by all for ten years for her commitment to professional equality, diversity and for her fight against sexist and sexual violence”, as described by Sophie Pochic, sociologist and research director at the CNRS, denotes the classic profile of the general secretaries of the union.
“A feminist of class struggle”
The first speech of this former activist of the Unef and the PS set the tone. “Clear guidelines on feminism, gender equality and the fight against sexist and sexual violence” were voted, she said. Sophie Binet “embodies a feminism of class struggle and reflects a rapprochement between feminism and trade unionism”, specifies Sophie Pochic. In 2019, the trade unionist co-signed the book Feminist, the CGT? Women, their work and trade union action. The struggles against this violence “cannot be secondary”, had hammered the secretary general this Friday morning.
“She is indeed the first woman at the head of the CGT but another aspect is very innovative with Sophie Binet: she comes from the Ugict-CGT”, analyzes Stéphane Sirot, historian and specialist in social movements. Because yes, Ugict, created in 1963, has always been viewed with suspicion by workers. This element of the general secretary’s profile symbolizes “the concretization of this change in the union landscape” for the historian. “The CGT is becoming a less industrial organization. When you look at the statistics, technicians and executives are more unionized than employees and workers”. And the executives are a pool of workers to unionize for the management of the CGT, which wishes to launch soon “a major unionization campaign”.
Pensions as a first test
“This election was not won by leaving with these three particularities: young, woman and executive”, says Sophie Pochic, who knows the former CPE well for having sat with her on the Higher Council for Professional Equality between Women and men (CSEP). “It also represents a generational renewal,” argues the sociologist.
Sophie Binet brings with her other commitments. Especially the climate. “Environmental issues are not outside our daily activism […], these are the questions to be addressed on a daily basis at the same time as we are addressing social issues”, argued the trade unionist this Friday before the union delegates, hammering home the importance of “being able to bring the end of the world and the end of the of months”. The new Secretary General is also very keen on the protection of whistleblowers. “This outstanding orator with a lively energy”, as the sociologist described her, will now have the difficult task of taking over the reins of a union torn internally while dealing with the burning issue of pensions.
On this point, our specialists agree: this appointment should not change the guideline of the CGT in the inter-union. A few hours after her appointment, the leader already announced that “the united intersyndicale” accepted the appointment proposed by Élisabeth Borne on April 5 “to demand the withdrawal of the reform”, under the songs of the militants of the Mines federation Energy: “Emmanuel Macron, if you continue, it will be completely dark at home”. According to Sophie Pochic, the new secretary general will have no technical problems in taking up the subject of pensions, having organized webinars in particular on the inequalities between men and women produced by this reform. Anyway “we will not let go”, hammered the trade unionist. “She is determined, enthusiastic, charismatic,” said Thomas Deregnaucourt, member of Ugict, to AFP. His first baptism of fire will take place next week, during the meeting with the Prime Minister on April 5 and during the next inter-union mobilization day on April 6.