For eight and a half months, Philippe Martinez has no longer been the general secretary of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). But his existence continues to be troubled by one of the internal clashes which shook the confederation at the time when he was number one. According to information from World, the former union leader, who retired a few weeks ago, after ending his career at Renault, will be tried for public defamation. The procedure results from a complaint filed by one of his “comrades” for comments that he did not make, but for which he takes responsibility. The hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2024, before the 17e criminal chamber of the Paris judicial court.
Mr. Martinez is being prosecuted because of a leaflet distributed in January 2020, during the congress of the CGT departmental union in Paris. On the sheet, there was this header: “No attackers at the CGT. Neither in unions, nor in responsibility! » The text did not contain any names but very clearly targeted Régis Vieceli, the head of the CGT for cleaning in the City of Paris, by recalling facts with which he had been accused. In this case, it was an altercation between the trade unionist and a CGT-Petite Enfance activist, on December 2, 2016, at the Labor Exchange. He was then accused of grabbing her by the hair and violently pushing her onto a table. A complaint was filed but it resulted in a dismissal notice.
Mr. Vieceli has always disputed the assertion that he raped this woman. But his denials did not convince the sexist and sexual violence monitoring unit that exists within the CGT. Attached to the national leadership of the union, this structure carried out its own investigation into the episode of December 2, 2016. In a report, it concluded that it was a matter of“a physical assault of a sexist nature” while observing that “the aggressor remains a federal leader and SG [secrétaire général] of an important union ». The January 2020 leaflet took up these assessments, specifying that they came from the monitoring unit. Other accusations were added, launched at the same time by a CGT activist and by the head of the CGT-Petite Enfance at Paris City Hall.
“Stop malicious statements”
Angered at being repeatedly singled out, Mr. Vieceli filed a complaint against If the former general secretary of the CGT will have to explain himself to the courts, it is because he was responsible – due to his position – for publishing the report of the monitoring unit, this entity being placed under the authority of the confederal leadership.
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