Rene Belin

Biography

Rene Belin, after very young being confronted with misery, starts to work as of the 14 years age like factor telegraphist with postal and telecommunications authorities. Within this administration, by way of contest, it progresses until becoming “writer”, an use of framework in direction. In parallel it engages in the trade unionism post-office employee, militant with the National union of the agents of the postal and telecommunications authorities, one of the component organizations of the National federation of the workers of the postal and telecommunications authorities. This one, at the time of the trade-union scission of 1922, had mainly remained in the CGT of Leon Jouhaux. The trade-union activity of Rene Belin and his participation in a strike, are worth in May 1930 to him to be revoked. Reinstated little time afterwards, whereas it had just taken national responsabilities with the Trade union from the agents, it was in the militancy that it is invested.

Noticed by Leon Jouhaux, it is one of the principal persons in charge of the CGT before the Second world war: elected in 1933 with the Confederal office, it became, for the observers, the “assistant general secretary” of the organization. It animated a tendency very anti communist around the weekly magazine Syndicats with Georges Dumoulin (UD-North), André Delmas and Ludovic Zoretti (SNI), Marcel Roy (Metals), Mr. Savoy (Food), Pierre Vigne, Bard and Bertron (Mines), P. Milan and Bonnet (Clothing) and Raymond Froideval (Building).

After the military rout of 1940, Rene Belin chooses the way of the Collaboration and becomes Minister for Labor of Pétain of the July 14th 1940 with the April 18th 1942, which it cumulated with the load of the industrial production of the February 23rd 1941 with the July 18th of the same year.

It signs the law of the bearing October 3rd, 1940 statute of the Jews, (Official journal of October 18th, 1940), at the sides of Philippe Pétain, Pierre Laval, Raphaël Alibert, Marcel Peyrouton, Charles Huntziger, Yves Bouthillier, Paul Baudoin and François Darlan.

He is the principal writer of the Charte of Work, a corporatism with the Frenchwoman who must link owners and paid (the same applies to the countryside for the landowners and their farmers). Under its mandate were dissolved the trade-union confederations and employers' (decree of the November 9th 1940), and instituted the Retraite by distribution.

It is the April 24th 1941, which on May 1st is officially indicated like the Labor Day and social Harmony and becomes one public holiday… One can notice that the Saint-Philippe (Pétain) was celebrated on May 1st, day moved with the May 3rd now.

With the Release, it is translated into justice, but is put out of cause the January 29th 1949 by a stop of Commission of Instruction of the High court without having to appear, have regard to “its attitude of opposition at the requests of the Germans and his concern of ensuring the defense of the French interests. ”

Excluded from the organizations to which it belonged before war, it joined the democratic Socialist party of Paul Faure and tries to start again an independent trade unionism and anticommunist.

The alternative

In reaction to the choice of Belin and its decision to dissolve the trade unions, twelve trade unionists make public the November 15th 1940 the text titrated Principes of the French trade unionism , known under the name of Manifeste of the Twelve , act public of opposition to the policy of the Vichy government,

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