Economist and former union leader Jean-Christophe Le Duigou has published a book urging unions to engage in politics to block the Rassemblement national. In 'A Long History: Unionism, the Far Right, and Democracy,' he advocates for refounding social citizenship amid the rise in RN votes. He deems moral condemnations and grassroots activism insufficient.
Jean-Christophe Le Duigou, an economist specializing in informatics and former CGT executive, has built his career between the union federation and the French Communist Party. As secretary general of the CGT finance federation and a member of the confederation's bureau from 1999 to 2009, he was appointed to the Council of State in 2013 by Jean-Marc Ayrault. Close to Bernard Thibault, this Breton offers in his book published by Arcane 17 (228 pages, 20 euros) a reflection on unionism confronting the far right.
The work calls to 'resume the offensive' against the Rassemblement national ahead of the 2027 presidential election and to 'build a bulwark' to counter this threat. Le Duigou labels the Front national – the RN's former name – as antinational, arguing that it 'divides social rights based on ethnic considerations and spreads anti-union, anti-social, and anti-democratic ideas.' He writes: 'Unionism must concern itself with alerting to the danger and harm of the FN. Tomorrow it will be too late!'
Without directly addressing security or immigration, the author revisits the concerns of the working-class electorate drawn to the RN: taxation, pensions, work, public services, industrial policy, employment, social issues, artificial intelligence, and ecological transition. He recommends equal taxation of labor and capital, strengthening the progressivity of income tax, reforming corporate tax, easing contributions for low-income households, taxing speculative income, and intensifying the fight against tax fraud. He describes the RN's advocated tax cuts as 'thoroughly demagogic.'
Le Duigou observes a decline in union influence and calls for a pedagogical approach to raise awareness of the risks.
