"A political decision with serious consequences for trade union action": suspended prison sentence and fines for five Sud PTT trade unionists

They expected that they would not be given "any gifts" , but the judgment issued by the Paris Criminal Court on July 10th did not go down well with the five postal workers of Sud PTT 92. Accused by their management of "violation of domicile" and "violence" against security agents (which they deny), after an attempt to occupy the headquarters of the postal group during a strike in 2014, they were sentenced to terms going beyond the prosecutor's demands, during the trial on June 12th .

Gaël Quirante, leader of Sud Poste 92, received a six-month suspended prison sentence, and the five union members will have to pay fines for "trespassing," the judges ruled. "This is a political decision, which will have serious consequences for all union activities ," Gaël Quirante reacted shortly after leaving the hearing where activists who had set up stands and sound systems on the courthouse square since late morning were waiting for him.

"This issue of violation of professional domicile, for which we are all condemned, risks setting a precedent and will inevitably weigh on workers in struggle who will need to return to their workplaces to make their demands heard," adds Yann Le Merrer, one of the five unionists condemned.

If a wind of revolt is blowing among union activists in the face of a decision referring to facts dating back more than ten years, the veracity of which they continue, concerning the violence, to deny, pointing to an "infamous slander" , the state of mind is also "one of combat" , asserts Gaël Quirante.

"This decision confirms the idea that collective action by workers can be criminally punishable and that is obviously something very serious, which must be fought politically and by unions. And that is what we are going to do," adds the activist, who announces the collective decision to appeal this decision as well as a joint meeting starting Tuesday, July 15 to prepare for the start of the school year and to make "a demonstration of unity, of political, union and associative convergence, in order to show that we are not going to let this happen."