New Caledonia's USTKE protests lead to loss in public support
Updated
In New Caledonia, the U-S-T-K-E has decided to take its campaign to free six trade unionists to metropolitian France. The union's president Gerard Jodar and five others were jailed at the end of June for their role in a disruptive protest at Noumea's domestic airport. Since then, supporters of the union have held several rallies for their release - a number of which degenerated into clashes between protesters and police. But, as the struggle continues it appears that an increasing number of New Caledonians are losing sympathy for their cause.
Presenter: Helene Hofman
Speakers: Sylvain Meallet, a leader of the Force Ouvriere (FO) trade union and Didier Leroux, president of the Avenir Ensemble party
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It's over five months since the dispute that led to the imprisonment of the U-S-T-K-E president Gerard Jodar and six others first began. Initially, it was sparked by the domestic airline, Air Caledonie's refusal to pay union members for a number of strike days held in support of a dismissed Kanak colleague. The female employee was dismissed for betraying commercial confidentiality - after she had told her mother that her father had taken a flight with his mistress. This led to further work stoppages and a major protest at Noumea's domestic airport that led to Mr Jodar and five others being handed down jail sentences for disrupting air traffic and damaging an aircraft.
However, the U-S-T-K-E claim they were merely exercising their right to protest against discrimination and have held several rallies calling for their members to be released. Last month, a number of those rallies degenerated into violent clashes between protesters and police. The French territory's other trade unions have, for the most part, refused to be drawn into the conflict.
The Workers Force union, known as FO, for example, says it defends all workers' right to strike . . . but its joint secretary-general Sylvain Meallet admits they have difficulty backing some of the U-S-T-K-E's methods. He says he's had to urge a number of the union's members not to get involved in protests, and called for an end to the U-S-T-K-E's actions.
[It's not fair that we would move and go against another trade union. I think people are very annoyed. I was too sometimes. I think as a citizen and it's sometimes difficult to support, we must careful not to oppose workers against workers. and I just ask my fellow members of F-O to keep quiet and don't go to any manifestation in the name of FO, which I think would be a big error to have opposite unions in the streets.]
Last month, 20-thousand people turned out to denounce the violence at protests led by supporters of the U-S-T-K-E, that left scores of police injured. Police said it was the largest turnout they had ever seen for a public protest. Trade unions have told Radio Australia that many public servants were given the day off to attend the protest, which was widely supported by employers, pro-French politicians and other members of the public.
The president of the pro-French Future Together, or Avenir Ensemble, party, Didier Leroux, says the rally was proof that public opinion is increasingly turning against the USTKE. He says any support that people might have had for their attempts to support a colleage have been cancelled by the debilitating blockades and the violent protests.
[When a union is preventing the majority of the population to live in peace and to work normally, at the end the majority of the public opinion is turning against them and that is what has happened here. They have crossed the yellow line and most of their actions have nothing to do with strike or union strike or what it should be. It has become very violent and uncontrollable and totally disproportionate with the reasons that were originally the cause of their action.]
The U-S-T-K-E is refusing to bow to public pressure . . . the union has planned a number of other rallies in support of their jailed colleagues. They are also planning to travel to France to meet with trade unionists who have offered their support in recent weeks. The 28 trade unionists initially arrested during the May airport protest - including the six who have been jailed - are due back in court on September 15th.
