:21:01
They're looking beyond
the French market.
:21:05
They want to supply
the 190 million consumers
:21:09
in the six countries
of the Common Market.
:21:13
These mergers are sponsored
by the banks, of course.
:21:18
The Suez Company
is in cheese and yogurt,
:21:21
and Rothschild is investing
in mustard and gingerbread.
:21:26
Any industry where profits
can be made is fair game.
:21:30
And there are profits to be made,
believe me.
:21:33
In 10 years, productivity
has risen by 55%/%,
:21:36
production by 60%/%,
:21:38
and corporate profits
by 25-30%/% every year.
:21:42
Sixty-six of the top 500 French
companies are food-related.
:21:49
But our salaries haven't kept up
with increasing production,
:21:53
and even less with corporate profits.
:21:56
Food industry salaries,
despite the gains of May '68,
:22:01
are still among the lowest in France,
:22:03
with a national average
of 4.80 francs an hour.
:22:08
I have the figures here.
:22:11
Here at Salumi, a laborer
makes 3.45 + 0.62 francs an hour.
:22:17
An unskilled worker
makes 3.94 + 0.74.
:22:22
A skilled worker
makes 4.45 + 0.90.
:22:28
A highly skilled worker
makes from 5.37 to 6.04.
:22:36
The food industry stuffs
the bosses and CEOs
:22:38
while it underfeeds the workers.
:22:43
We at the CGT maintain
:22:45
that industrial concentration
calls for a united strategy
:22:49
that allows agreements
between multiple sectors,
:22:53
combined with individual riders
for each sector or factory.
:22:57
We also maintain that irresponsible
actions like those of this morning