A-Infos (en) Sweden, Malmo, The buletin of the The libertarian alternative to the ESF - Sans-papiers - migrant labour struggles in France by Jessie, Pascal, Brice, Nil,

For decades, the question of migrant labour has been at the center of political and social debates, 
and of the fantacies on which capitalism feeds. Except for a brief period after the elections of 
1981, when there were a few partial improvements, immigration law has made the status of working 
foreigners ever more precarious. ---- The last Ceseda Reform (Law on immigration, residence and 
asylumn) of 2007 is one of the most discriminatory and repressive texts since the Pasqua Act of 
1986 which deprived thousands of their right to live and work in France. Apart from it's 
fundamentally coersive orientation, it is designed to recruit foreigners according to the needs of 
the national economy and to maleable workers who live in constant fear of deportation. The circular 
of August 22, 2007 on work permits gives people the hope of having their status regularized without 
actually guaranteeing anything.

Migrants are subjected
to a whole arsenal of restrictions
without any regard for the con-
stituional principle of non-discri-
mination. The criteria listed in
that circular remain entirely at
the discretion of local authori-
ties. The decision of 18 January
2008 establishes an exhaustive list
of occupations open to migrants
under restrictive conditions and
subjected to bilateral agreements
with their countries of origin.
As an example, both France and
Senegal have concluded a treaty
that provides for residence per-
mits for 108 professions. If that
isn't a quota system, then what
is?
In that same spirit the European
Union seeks to get total control
over all movement of migrants
across its borders, as we can see
in the recently passed Directive
that authorizes periods of deten-
tion up to eighteen months.
All proposed legislation points
toward more selection, more con-
trol, and more repression. None
of this has anything to do with
respect for human rights, judi-
cial remedies are very limited.
Time limits for raising appeals
are being shortened while the
conditions for doing so are made
more restrictive, limits on arbi-
trary administrative decisions are
being relaxed, arrest warants are
becoming easier to obtain, and
the procedures for renewing resi-
dence permits are becoming ever
more complex.

The Strikes

A strike of undocumented
migrant workers began in and
around Paris since April 2007.
More than 1500 workers in res-
taurants, in construction, clea-
ning and domestic workers were
involved. CNT, a syndicalist
union in France, stands for the
regularisation of all humans, be
they workers or not. Although
this struggle sometimes involved
case by case negotiations with
government authorities, we deci-
ded to take part in order to obtain
papers for our fellow workers.
Here are two eyewitness reports
on strikes started by the CNT of
greater Paris.

The "Charlie Birdy" - or how to make a nightclub swing

On Sunday, April 20, CNT mem-
bers armed with banners, flags,
posters, stickers and a supply of
food met. Their mission: to take
over the bar « Charlie Birdy »,
just off the Champs-Élysées, con-
sidered the world's most beautiful
street, at least according to some.
On the way, we meet up with
our five undocumented fellow
workers who are going to fight
for their regularization. Once
inside, the strikers and the CNT
members take positions behind
the bar and in the easy chairs of
the club. Meanwhile others are
busy outside flooding the neigh-
borhood with CNT propaganda;
"French or migrant, same boss,
same struggle", "Workers have
no country but international sol-
darity". The manager freaks out
and starts to tear up everything
in sight, but our threat to close
down the place helps to calm
him. Soon enough, the owner
turns up with his buddies from
the police.
Unfortunately, we have commit-
ted no crimes and the police have
no right to intervene in labour
disputes. With bad grace, the
owner agrees to apply to the pré-
fecture of the 92 arrondisment
for the regularisation of the five
workers. We settle down to stay.
Our colleagues who work in the
kitchens of other restaurants of
the same chain have decided to
occupy the place without block-
ing it. We choose a place from
which we can keep an eye on the
door, with comfortable couches,
a couple of tables and the easy
chairs. To stave off starvation,
people bring along snacks and a
couple of fellow workers stock up
enough to last several days. But
it isn't all fun and games. That
bar closes at 5 AM seven nights
a week.
Those among us who are totally
exhausted take naps in a compart-
ment in the basement that we have
liberated. Meanwhile, others have
to stay upstairs and endure the
crap music turned all the way up
and the dirty looks of bourgeoise
who take us to be bums stretched
out on their precious couches.
After five o'clock there is the clea-
ning and the deliveries. It gets
exhausting. After fourty-seven
days of this occupation Moussa,
Souleymane and Madikoulé get
their papers. That leaves Hadji
and Simbala whom the emigra-
tion authority stubbornly refuses
to regularize. The strike is over,
but the struggle continues.

How PastaPapá became a self-managed restaurant
between the Champs and the Élysée

On May 20 a new wave of strikes
hits the Île-de-France. With sup-
port from Solidaires and CNT
eight undocumented cooks take
over the restaurant of the founder
of that chain, for whom they have
worked many years. Now it is the
turn of PastaPapá, close to the
Champs-Élysées, a few hundred
meters from the "Market", the
"Charlie Birdy", the "Quick" and
the "Bistro romain", which have
already been taken over.
The beginning was tough. The
boss had a fit, started screaming,
pushing people around, breaking
up chairs, trying to scare the stri-
kers. Next morning he switched
over to a lock-out. Within a few
hours he emptied his restaurant,
blocked the toilet doors, cut the
current and left.

Grateful to be rid of him, we
got organized. Cleaning, shop-
ping, cooking; the day to day
tasks were planned and assigned.
Every evening there was a gene-
ral assembly of strikers, unions
and supporters. Decisions about
the legal battle (follow-up on the
files) and on the financial resour-
ces (concerts, solidarity events)
were taken. Food drives in wor-
king class neighborhoods proved
to be so effective that the strikers
were able to cook meals for their
colleagues in the Charlie Birdy.
After three weaks, a court order
forced us to sign a less favoura-
ble occupation agreement which
enabled the boss to reopen his
restaurant. But we stayed with the
strikers. After the fourth week,
four strikers got a three month
temporary residence permit and
a work permit. Finally, in August
all the strikers received a resi-
dence permit.

It is too early to draw final conclu-
sions, but the workers at Charlie
Birdy and PastaPapa have shown
us a beautiful example of bloo-
dy-mindedness and solidarity in
their struggle. With the open-
sesame of the work permit now
in hand, the next question con-
cerns their working conditions.
Some of these cheap skate bosses
will be hearing from the black cat
again real soon.
_________________________________________
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