TUAC President Liz Shuler: charging a union leader for criticising corporate behaviour is “a deliberate strategy to silence workers”.
Paris – Trade union leaders gathering in Paris today have condemned the prosecution of Sophie Binet, General Secretary of France’s CGT. Ms Binet was charged with ‘public insults’ for criticising corporate executives who threaten relocation over proposed tax measures – a prosecution that comes in a context of repeated attacks against trade unions from France’s far right.
Speaking at the Maison des Métallos – the historic former headquarters of CGT’s metalworkers’ union, which served as a centre for resistance and political action against fascism globally– Liz Shuler, President of TUAC and the AFL-CIO, said:
“What is happening to Sophie Binet is not an isolated incident – it is part of a deliberate strategy to silence workers and their unions. Across the globe, we are seeing the same pattern: far-right movements backed by billionaire money working to erode labour rights and tilt the balance of power further against working people. The global labour movement stands united – and we will not be silenced.”
Trade union representatives from across the world shared similar experiences of growing anti-union practices, freedom of speech violations and weakening democratic institutions amidst rising far-right political movements.
The global labour movement stands in solidarity with Sophie Binet and all trade unionists facing such attacks, and will continue to defend its founding values of democracy, freedom of association, and respect for human rights.
– ENDS –
