the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Dec 2, 2024
This article is translated from the November 23 issue of Combat Ouvrier (Workers’ Struggle), the Trotskyist group of that name active in the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Rodrigue Petitot, the leader of RPPRAC, the organization behind the current movement against the high cost of living in Martinique, was arrested on November 12 “for home invasion, threats, intimidation and violence against persons holding public authority.” Hundreds of people turned out to support him outside his place of detention until his release from court on November 15.
The authorities, backed by the mainstream media, would like to blame the violence and looting on the margins of the movement on this leader. The struggle against the high cost of living in Martinique has been gaining in popularity for nearly three months. Actions and demonstrations are continuing not only in Martinique, but also in France, with impressive demonstrations in Paris. In Guadeloupe, on November 16, people disrupted the operation of a Carrefour store which not only sells expensive products, but also lies about the prices displayed.
RPPRAC leaders began the mobilization by demanding lower food prices, and denouncing the power of wealthy Békés families and a few bourgeois of color over supermarkets in the West Indies. The Bernard Hayot Group alone owns franchises for Carrefour, Renault, Mr. Bricolage, Danone, Kia, Decathlon and many others. It’s a group with a presence in 19 countries around the world and in all overseas territories, with sales of three billion euros in 2023.
These capitalists reserve exorbitant margins for themselves and refuse to reveal them to the public.
What’s more, supply is largely dependent on imports from France, estimated at 87% in 2023. The CMA-CGM company, which monopolizes import-export, takes full advantage of this situation to enrich itself.
Demonstrators rejected a proposed agreement. It was signed by the prefect, the local authority and supermarket bosses on October 16. Price cuts are largely insufficient, since the profits of big business remain untouched.
It’s the bosses who should be made to pay, rather than taking money from the public purse. But beyond a significant price cut, it’s important to demand higher wages!
The real expenses of the working classes have exploded. It’s no longer a question of losing a little purchasing power; salaries are no longer enough to live on. In 2023, economist Christian Louis-Joseph reported that more than half the population of Martinique was living in poverty.
We need a substantial increase in all salaries, benefits and pensions. Not less than $600, starting with the lowest incomes. No income should be less than $2,000.
The social struggle in Martinique concerns part of the population, but workers have just as much at stake in launching a struggle within companies. A struggle for wage increases waged with at least as much determination as Rodrigue Petitot’s movement would be a winner.
Like the dockers and EDF workers, who, when they cease their activities, stop the transport of goods and the production of electricity, we can see that workers are indispensable to the running of society. This awareness among workers that they carry the whole of society on their shoulders can go a long way.
The thousands of supermarket workers in the West Indies, if they decide to stop work, could block the Hayot and company money machine. The exploited are the only ones who can challenge the power of the owners. This is how the working class is best placed to impose its demands and win higher wages through mass struggles and strikes in the workplace.