National union of the students of France known as Solidarity coed

The UNEF (National union of the students of France), known as sometimes SE (Solidarity coed) after 1982 to distinguish it from the UNEF-ID, is one of the two branches which asserted both the property of the name UNEF from their scission of 1971 in 2001. The many lawsuits in paternity asserting name UNEF will not give reason to any of the two parts, the protagonists (ACES and each of the two UNEF) having decided into 1979 to desist from all their complaints.

It was qualified name of UNEF-Revival (reference to the Renouveau tendency of before 1971 from where it resulted) until 1982 when the adoption of the line of " solidarity étudiante" the fact sometimes of indicating under the initials " UNEF-SE ". In opposition to UNEF-US then UNEF-ID, controlled by the trotskistes-lambertists, the UNEF known as Renouveau is directed by students resulting from the Union of the communist students (PCF), Jeunesse Christian coed and certain groups of the left not-Communist, like the mitterrandists in 1971 or CERES (minority of the PS close to Jean-Pierre Chevènement. However after the movement against the law Devaquet, the CERES, become Socialism and Republic, decides to invest itself in the UNEF-ID and returns there to the congress of May 1987).

Internal organization

Contrary to UNEF-ID, she asserted constantly name UNEF (without another precision) and, to support this claim, officially preserved the statutes of 1969, the last of before the explosion. But it applied them forever, “specifying them” quickly by largely contradictory rules of procedure with them, payment from which many points also fell into the lapse of memory.

About the middle of the years 1990, the operation of the UNEF was the following: she was made up of OLD (general associations of students), one by establishment in Paris region, one by provincial town, largely autonomous, functioning each one according to her statutes and her uses.

The OLD one in theory were made of autonomous associations of die, heiresses of the Committees of Action of the statutes of 1969. In fact, very little really existed. In the university big cities of province, like Lyon or Montpellier, each association corresponded to a University, not to a die. In Paris region, there was very little, generally transitory.

The National union was directed officially by an National office of 31 members elected by the congress (annual initially, then every two years, where each OLD had a number of delegates determined by his number of members) with the majority poll of not blocked list (a commission dominated by outgoing management proposed a list of 31 names, which each delegate could modify with his liking; after examination, one noted the election of the 31 proposed and one commented on the variations of voice). It included/understood a president, a general secretary, a treasurer. A national secretariat made of the latter plus four or five members elected by the National office constituted the true collegial direction of the UNEF. In general, the direction placed some opponents at the National office, never at the secretariat.

The National collective included/understood the 31 members of the National office plus two representatives by OLD (according to the payment: the president and the secretary, in fact indicated freely by the OLD one for each meeting). It was the principal authority of debate between two congresses, but the weight of the members of the Office naional guaranteed, except period acute crisis, a final vote favorable to the direction.

The UNEF had its seat street of Provence, Place Clichy, then 52, rue Édouard-Pailleron, 75019 Paris.

History

The UNEF, majority with the beginning of the year 1980, missed the movement studied by 1986. Its president of then was Xavier Aknine. The organization was then in a double financial and trade-union dead end. It will be necessary to await the student movements of the years 1990 to see it re-appearing in front of the topicality. The UNEF will be in particular the engine of the revolt coed against the Jospin projects, then Lang and finally against the Contrat of Professional insertion, known as CIP, where the presidents of the two UNEF (Bob Injey and Philippe Campinchi) make common front. The organization, second force coed at that time, made in 1980 almost good match with his/her rival sister UNEF-ID, exit in 1980 of UNEF-US, but had lost ground electorally.

In fact since 1989 the internal situation of the organization starts to worsen: the UNEF as other organization close relations of PCF is transformed into case of resonance of the sharp debates which agitated the communist mediums at that time. For this reason the congress of the UEC of 1989 throws certainly seeds of the discord which was going to precipitate the UNEF whole at the edge of the pit. It is at this time that two tendencies take shape in-house, one near to the UEC the other in rupture with this one asserting an organic autonomy with respect to the communist organization coed and the assertion of the trade-union identity coed of the UNEF. They at this time also that great transfers of militants of the UNEF-ID take place towards the UNEF, coming mainly from mobilities of extreme left close to the LCR, LO and anarchistic movements such as Al, came to more or less clearly shoulder in certain cases the oppositional ones whose political dealings were at the very least varied. The period 1990-1992 is that of all the dangers to the organization which seems it manages to overcome this crisis interns and standardizes the difficult relations between AGEs and national management. The organization leaves there partially reinforced, sometimes doubling as in Jussieu the number of its representatives to the central councils of the university Paris VI, whereas during the acutest moments of the crisis the UNEF interns counted on this only OLD campus two competitors: one supported by national management the other constant amongst other things by the Old oppositional ones of Tolbiac, Nanterre, Lille and Caen.

The studied movement of 1995 sounded like the song of the swan for the organization. If its moral authority on the studied world were important, the professionalisation of the organizations coeds which was made day in these years put the UNEF in a complex financial position. It could not follow the higher bid and its framing was surbedded little by little.

From 1996, the organization knew a decline under the presidency of Marie-Pierre Vieu. It was accentuated at the end of the decade under the presidency of Karine Delpas. The trade union seemed to have suffered from a tendency of the influence of the young Communists to want to keep the " pre carré" , all the more accentuated since certain internal opponents refused to sit in Office after the congress of Toulouse. It is as with this congress as Communists, hostile with the direction of PCF, translated this hostility into a voter to the direction. After the congress of Toulouse (1997), the militants of the LCR gradually withdrew UNEF, much passer by at CUS, some with the UNEF-ID. Those which remained, especially in Jussieu, where they directed the OLD one, and in Nanterre, where they were sometimes a strong minority, sometimes the majority, ignored the National union, refusing to take part in the National office and being almost systematically absent from National collectives. Association UNEF of Toulouse-Arsenal made scission to form the AGET-ASL (Alternate for Trade unionism of Fight).

The come to power of the plural left, led to the crystallization of the confrontations. The UNEF had decided in 1997 against the Bayrou reform. While the direction sought positive aspects in the policy of Lively, its opponents transfer the continuation of the preceding one there.

The studied movement of the autumn 1998 against the Attali report/ratio and plan U3M devoted the cut into two of the UNEF, between a direction which refused to begin, and renonça at the same time with its opposition to the reform Bayrou, and a minority (OLD of Rouen, Caen, Limoges, Lille, Paris IV and association of Toulouse-Mirail, joined then by the OLD one of Pau, Nantes, Paris I and Evry) which supported the movement and made then fight against these reforms the main axis of its trade-union activity. This movement marked also end the one period, that where congresses and National collectives were dominated by the confrontations between Communists and trotskists: the opposition which was formed then included/understood the militants of the GR. (Gauche revolutionist, scission of the LCR) which directed the OLD one of Rouen and Caen, but also many other sensitivities, included/understood hostile Communists either to the direction of PCF, or only with the union guideline of the direction of the UNEF, and Socialists.

From January 1999, is added to this question that of the unit with the UNEF-ID, advanced by the Delpas direction (officially: to try to answer very the low level of unionization of the world studied) in spite of many reserves in its majority. It dominates the 79e congress (Puppet, April 1999) which, in a great confusion, votes with one crushing majority a motion “against any form of reunification” (vote for: opposition and most of the majority, the abstaining from remainder; only delegates of two OLD vote against still directed by members of the LCR (Jussieu) or Co-directed (Nanterre)), but renewed outgoing management.

During this congress, the AGEL (Limoges), OLD strongest of the UNEF according to its electoral results, announces its scission of the National union. It is joined then by the OLD one of Pau and the Association of Toulouse-Mirail, which form with it Solidarité coed.

The UNEF thus leaves this congress deeply divided. On a side, the opposition, weakened, continues in the OLD one that it dominates the fight against the reforms Bayrou-Lively and tries, while taking part in inter-union the " Together against the Allègre" reforms; , to maintain bonds with the secessionist ones of SE, to restore some with the AGET-ASL, and to create some with the ONLY of Montpellier. Other the direction keeps the prospect for the unification with the UNEF-ID, then planned for the end 1999.

The reserves of OLD of the majority and the passage of Lyon to an opposition open to the autumn condemn this process. But division persists on the question of the reforms and is worsened by the movement of State education against Lively.

Elections with CROUS of March 2000 are disaster for UNEF (majority as opposition) which preserves only one ten elected officials, and thus loses any hope to preserve its representative to the CNOUS. A unit attempt at list with the AGET-ASL and SE, seeking the support of ONLY fails: only the AGET-ASL accepts, which condemns the attempt, and lists it makes finally less voice than the total of elected officials UNEF, for reasons remained mysterious to date.

The debate on the reunification, and the end of UNEF known as SE

In June 2000, whereas the list for the CNESER is ready, that the opposition takes part in it and supports it, and that the UNEF appears certain to preserve its elected official at it, and thus the statute of representative national organization, Karine Delpas announces at the National office at three registration days, on Friday, June 2, that the UNEF-ID only proposes a joint list (with an eligible place for the UNEF) and that it should be accepted.

The proposal is ratified the following day by a National collective far from representative, almost only by the voices of the members of the national secretariat. Vote against not only the representatives of OLD oppositional, but also of OLD who supported until there the majority (Bordeaux, Orleans). On the other hand, leaders LCR of Jussieu and Nanterre vote for. Olivier Ruet (Caen), Emmanuel Lyasse (Paris IV) and Jihad Wachill (Paris I) then decide to launch an alternate list and to try to find in 48 hours the 22 elected officials of central councils of 22 different establishments necessary. They obtain the support of ONLY and the AGET-ASL, but not of SE.

The list, entitled “Together, for a Public university of quality open to all. List trade-union gathering”, is finally directed by Olivier Ruet and includes/understands elected officials UNEF of OLD of the old opposition (Caen, Paris IV, Paris I, Rouen, Lille I, Lille III, Evry, Paris XII, Nantes, Dijon), of Arras, of Lyon (Lyon I, Lyon II, INSA), one elected UNEF of Paris III and one of Orleans with personal capacity, elected officials of the AGET-ASL (Toulouse Arsenal), SE Pau and ONLY (Montpellier II and III). It is supported by the UGEM-UNEF (Montpellier II and III). Deposited incomplete the Monday the 5th, but apparently supplemented in the intended deadlines by the texts, she is declared invalid by the ministry. “Unit” list UNEF-ID/UNEF will obtain less voice than the number of elected officials asserted by the only UNEF-ID.

Meanwhile, the other OLD one, whose Bordeaux, Rennes and Orleans, condemn the decision of the National collective.

But the opponents divide on following giving. Whereas the majority of them wants to take note of the rejection crushing by the UNEF of its direction to undertake the rebuilding of the trade union, the OLD one of Caen unilaterally creates at the end of June the FSE (Trade union federation coed) which is joined by ONLY, then by the UGED-UNEF (Dijon) and the AGET-ASL.

The Delpas direction envisaged to make endorse the dissolution of the UNEF and the process of unification by a congress in November. This congress is convened under conditions disputed by the opposition, which affirms to have been majority with the decisive National collective. But the refusal of the unification (to which joined meanwhile the OLD one of Clermont and Orsay) there is majority, and the direction must move back, but refuses to be renewed.

The “reunification” seems buried then. The months which follow are marked by a collapse of the activity, and it quasi disappearance of the OLD one which until had carried out there the dispute, Rouen, Paris IV and Lyon, because of their incapacity to renew their directions. In spring, with the general surprise, the Delpas direction starts again the process of unification and convenes for on May 13rd a National collective to endorse it. This one is characterized by a great confusion, many disputes of the mandates of deputy on both sides, and a dubious final vote. But the Delpas direction considers that it there gained and convenes a congress for June. This congress, boycotted by almost the whole of OLD, vote the dissolution of the UNEF and its immediate adhesion with a fusion (without congress) with the UNEF-ID. Following shown that the weight of the former members of UNEF known as SE in the UNEF reunified was quasi null.

But the members of old the UNEF opposed to the unification, for them “the liquidation of the UNEF in the UNEF-ID” were unable to build anything and are, as of the shortly after the National collective of May 13rd, 2001, divided into two camps

1) Those which wanted to assert their continuity with the UNEF, and to affirm an union guideline of opposition to the reforms of the University carried out by Bayrou, by Allègre and Lang, which they regarded as faithful so that had been the UNEF before 1997

2) Those which wanted to create a new organization, thus admitting the validity of the dissolution of the UNEF, and were much fuzzier on the reforms.

In addition, much of members, and some OLD, ignored the debate and stopped any trade-union activity. Extraordinary AG convened (in reference to the statutes of 1969) was the place of the confrontation between these two camps. It did not lead to nothing, if not a compromise between part of the participants on the creation of a “UNEF differently” which never had the least existence. Some of the partisans of the position (2) joined then the FSE, which they left at the end of one year.

During winter 2001/02, the UNEF Evry, the AGEL-UNEF (Lille) and some Parisian isolated tried to create a network UNEF trade-union Resistance in the continuity of old the UNEF. It was a fast failure. The other survivors of the liquidation of the UNEF refused to follow them. The AGEL-UNEF crumbled quickly. The UNEF Evry survived some time like local trade union.

Representativeness

(*) In 2000, joint list UNEF and UNEF-ID.

Presidents of the UNEF known as Revival then SE

Guy Konopnicki (president of 1971 to 1972)
Olivier Mayer (president of 1972 to 1973)
Rene Maurice (president of 1973 to 1976)
Jean-Luc Mano (president of 1976 to 1979)
Didier Seban (president of 1979 to 1981)
Denis Dubien (president of 1981 to 1984)
Governed Piquemal (president of 1984 to 1986)
Patrice Leclerc (president of 1986 to 1987)
Xavier Aknine (president of 1987 to 1988)
Olivier Meyer (president of 1988 to 1992)
Robert Injey (president of 1992 to 1994)
Marie-Pierre Vieu (president of 1994 to 1998)
Karine Delpas (president of 1998 to 2001)

External bond

unef.org. This site, created by the UNEF Evry in 1999, which was the site of OLD opposed to the unification, then that of the UNEF Resistance, became since March 2007, on the initiative of a group of old of the UNEF, a historic site, entitled " Tomb for the UNEF 1971-2001". It includes/understands since its creation much documents on the last period and the files of the discussion forum which was one of the principal places of the confrontations of then. Thanks to the digitalization of files preserved by former members, his second version, of September 2007, gives much more older documents (texts of congress, guides of the student, other national publications…) and also various versions of the statutes (1929, 1969) and the payment of 1979 modified in 1994.

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