WEBVTT

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Hello, I'm Nadja,
I work for

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STMicroelectronics,
a French-Italian company

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that manufactures
semiconductors

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and I work
in Isère, France.

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Our union's action

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began with a call
from Palestinian unions.

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A call for solidarity
to take action in our workplaces

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against the arming
of Israel.

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And since then,
 as a union,

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we have been working on the issue because
there was no transparency whatsoever

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namely whether our company
was working with Israel or not.

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So we did our research
and it turns out that STMicroelectronics

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has many links
with Israel:

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to run research and innovation centres

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working with Israeli universities
and also with producers

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of semiconductors
such as power semiconductors.

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So in fact,
in June 2024

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we wrote
an open letter

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to our CEO asking that
our company not collaborate

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in the crimes being committed
in Palestine

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and to cease all
collaboration with Israel.

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And then we also asked
for more transparency

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in the business dealings
our company had with Israel

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and even other countries
regarding everything related to defence

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weapons, or
non-weapons.

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Because surveillance,
for example, drones,

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that's not necessarily
bombs,

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but it's used by armies
to locate people and kill them.

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And finally, thirdly,
it was also

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to be able to
control more

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the end customer
of our chips.

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Because in
the context of

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the conflict between
Russia and Ukraine.

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STMicroelectronic chips
were found

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in Russian drones,
despite the embargo.

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After

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the CEO's open letter,

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we will start working
with ‘Urgence Palestine’

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and we've had several
meetings

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and it came
quite quickly

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the idea of
building

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a collective initiative.

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We held a rally in front of
the company in Isère

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and the union called for a strike
on that occasion.

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So that was
10 April 2025.

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The three demands
within the company

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were:

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the cessation of all
collaboration with Israel,

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having
complete transparency

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about trade
with that country

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and also to be able to
control

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the end customers

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and so there were
quite a few,

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we were about
50 to 100 people.

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In terms of strikers,

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there were about thirty
people, you could say.

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So it was good,
because

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given that discussions on
the subject of Palestine

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are not easy given
the media and political climate

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which tends to avoid
talking about Palestine.

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We have rather
seen in France

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from the outset
unconditional support

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from our politicians
towards Israel.

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So we thought
that the

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employees would be rather
negative given the atmosphere.

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But then we received
a very favourable welcome

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in our leafleting
campaign beforehand,

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about the strike on 10 April
and even the support continued.

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So even if they
didn't dare

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volunteer
to go on strike,

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we still had quite a lot
of support within the company.

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In the aftermath
of the strike

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we are already trying to
roll out initiatives

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at other
sites in France.

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We've done it at the Pôle site,
and we're going to take action

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in front of the Grenoble site
and maybe soon in Caen too.

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And we're also trying

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to take action
on several fronts.

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So on the one hand, we're
trying to activate labour rights

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to achieve transparency
in business and to conduct

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STMicroelectronics
with Israel.

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So we have asked a number
of questions in the

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staff representative bodies, in particular
the Social and Economic Committee,

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where we are waiting for
the company to respond,

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which it is not doing
deliberately,

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so we are trying to be proactive
and if they don't respond,

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we are ready to refer the matter
to the labour inspectorate
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and why not go to court
to get answers.
89
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And then on the other hand
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also, in a
recent open letter
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that we wrote
a few days ago,

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at the end of May

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early June 2025,

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to the management of
STMicroelectronics

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we point out the responsibility of
the company but also of the managers

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regarding

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the Convention
on the prevention

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and the repression
of the crime of genocide

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adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly

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in December 1948,

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which in fact also applies
to companies

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legal personality
to their leaders.

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So these entities
can be accused

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of complicity
in genocide.

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It's not just states,
so it's also a means of action

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for trade unionists,
because often

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we call on our states 
to act, it must be done,

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but also in our companies,
when we know that there is a link

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with a genocidal state,

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it's a means
of action,

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because our leaders could
find themselves in court

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and be accused of complicity
in genocide, too.

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What we
can see

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for more than 18 months is that
Palestine continues to be bombed

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and Palestinians are dying, is that
there is nevertheless a change

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in political discourse
because it is becoming untenable

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this massacre
and also

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of public opinion.

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So when we went on
strike on 10 April,

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we organised it in front of the company
and not inside.

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And we had widely
communicated this in the city

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and to our comrades,
other CGT unions, other companies

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and so a number of
people, comrades,

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came
to support us and

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This gives us hope

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for the future
of possible actions

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between unions

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between companies
I would say, so that our action

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be even more

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impactful.

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Because if there are
several companies

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and not just
one taking action,

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it's bound to
be small steps.

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And then we could
also see, precisely

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this domino effect
that can occur

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through the actions of the dockers
in Marseille who blocked the

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the shipment of
weapons for Israel.

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We know that it had already
started in Morocco, in Tangier

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which had refused to
load it with weapons.

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And then after that
it continued.

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The ship was transported
to Genoa in Italy.

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And so, in fact,
all these small actions

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give hope
and desire

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to other unions,

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whatever the sector,
to take part in the fight.

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And so,

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unity is strength.

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And the struggle
continues.