Abstract
The labor movement in France since 1944 has had a hectic his tory. The unions, especially those united in the General Confederation of La bor (CGT), played a strong role in the resistance movement and gained great political influence. By 1946, labor had won a place on the boards of directors of all the nationalized services and industries and had gained influence in other industries. After 1946, Communist politics split the CGT and in the process a considerable number of workers simply left organized labor. The author dis cusses the resultant disorganization and strife, the attempts of the state to regu late collective bargaining, the introduction of a new collective bargaining law in 1950, the initiative of some managements, public and private, in introducing plant bargaining rather than industry-wide or area-wide bargaining, and the forces making for change in industrial relations and those holding back change.—Ed.
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