Edmond Maire | |
|---|---|
 Edmond Maire in 1978 | |
| General Secretary of theCFDT | |
| In office 1971–1988 | |
| Preceded by | Eugène Descamps |
| Succeeded by | Jean Kaspar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edmond Louis Marie Maire (1931-01-24)24 January 1931 |
| Died | 1 October 2017(2017-10-01) (aged 86) Paris, France |
| Children | Jacques Maire |
| Education | Lycée Jacques-Decour |
| Alma mater | CNAM |
Edmond Maire (French pronunciation:[ɛdmɔ̃mɛːʁ]; 24 January 1931 – 1 October 2017) was a French labor union leader. He was the secretary general of theFrench Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT) from 1971 to 1988. He was dismissive ofstrike actions and supported a more equaldivision of labour.
Edmond Maire was born on 24 January 1931 inÉpinay-sur-Seine near Paris.[1][2][3] His father was a railroad employee for theSNCF at theGare du Nord, and his mother was a housewife.[1] He was raised as a devoutRoman Catholic alongside six siblings.[1]
Maire was educated at theCollège-lycée Jacques-Decour in Paris and did not go to university.[1] He began working at 18 and took evening classes inchemistry at theConservatoire national des arts et métiers.[1] He subsequently did hismilitary service.[1]
Maire began his career as a chemist forPechiney inAubervilliers near Paris.[1] He quit his job to focus on activism. After he retired from the CFDT, he became the chief executive ofVillages Vacances Familles, a chain of affordableholiday villages later known asBelambra Clubs.[2]
Maire first joined theFrench Confederation of Christian Workers in 1954.[1][2] In 1964, he was a co-founder of a secular splinter group, the French Democratic Confederation of Labour.[3][2] Maire succeededEugène Descamps as the secretary general of the CFDT from 1971 to 1988.[1][2][3] He took on a more centrist approach, which led more left-wing labour leaders likeJacques Julliard to criticize him.[4] For example, Maire dismissedstrike actions as "old labour mythology."[4] Instead, he was a proponent of a more equaldivision of labour.[4] In 1981, he complained that Frenchpublic intellectuals were not sufficiently supportive of his efforts.[5] He was succeeded byJean Kaspar.[2][3]
Maire joined theSocialist Party in 1974.[2] He was close toPierre Mendès France,Michel Rocard andJacques Delors.[5] He was a supporter of the35-hour workweek passed by the Socialist government under Prime MinisterLionel Jospin in 2000.[2]
Maire died on 1 October 2017 at the age of 86.[1][2][3] One of his sons,Jacques Maire, is a member of theNational Assembly forEn Marche![3]
Upon his death,Muriel Pénicaud, theFrench Minister of Labour, tweeted that Maire "transformed and inspiredindustrial relations."[3]
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