A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #370 - Trade Unionism - Tribute: Pierrot, Farewell to a Steadfast and Warm-Hearted Labor Activist (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

An aircraft mechanic and activist in the libertarian communist movement 
for nearly fifty years, Pierre Contesenne passed away during the night 
of March 4-5, 2026. A group of comrades offer him a final farewell. ---- 
The passing of Pierre Contesenne  "Pierrot"  came as a shock to us, as 
he seemed such a solid anchor in our lives. Pierrot, born on June 22, 
1955, entered the Air France apprentice school after completing middle 
school. He graduated in 1974 with the Mechanics class and began his 
military service at the Villacoublay air base (78), where he refused to 
work on military aircraft. In 1976, hired as an aircraft mechanic at the 
Air France workshops in Orly, he joined the CFDT, then a self-managed 
union, and was elected staff representative in 1977. In 1978, at the 
engine maintenance workshop, he met Daniel Goude, who recruited him to 
the Union of Libertarian Communist Workers (UTCL).

A proponent of worker self-management, Pierre Contesenne opposed the PCF 
(French Communist Party) militants who dominated the CGT (General 
Confederation of Labour). He supported the radical actions chosen by the 
strikers and reported on them in Lutter!, the UTCL's newspaper, and 
later in Alternative libertaire until the late 2010s, under the 
pseudonym Procope Semeniouta. He revisited these themes in a 
retrospective article for Les Utopiques, the journal of the Solidaires 
trade union: "Shirt Day... and Thirty Years of Radical Struggles at Air 
France." "

One of the leaders of the SUD-Aérien union
During the CFDT's expulsion of "black sheep," Pierrot supported the 
creation of an independent, militant union at Air Inter in 1985, the 
SNPIT  led in particular by Julie Corbeau, also an activist with UTCL. 
In 1997, the SNPIT became SUD-Aérien, and Julie and Pierrot were among 
its founders and pillars.

A tireless advocate for struggles in the airline industry, he was 
particularly committed to supporting the most vulnerable workers, those 
in subcontracting companies. As secretary of the Orly industrial works 
council, he focused on developing cultural activities, exhibitions, and 
conferences for employees." Believing that "anything that opens up 
education and culture is part of the strategy for emancipation," he 
strove to "introduce subversion" into it, once again encountering 
hostility from the PCF-CGT activists. Retirement had not diminished his 
determination to fight. He always felt deeply connected to the union, 
staying informed, engaging in regular dialogue, and paying close 
attention to both the progress and the difficulties encountered on the 
ground by union teams. From Rue du Dragon to Droits devant!!

Within the UTCL and Alternative libertaire, Pierrot met activists from 
all sectors, enriching his political and union knowledge. For years, in 
the same local group, he worked alongside the writer Daniel Guérin, whom 
he greatly admirednot without a certain affectionate irony expressed 
with his working-class wit. He participated in the lively and engaging 
debates of congresses, summer workshops, and the convivial gatherings of 
UTCL and later AL, cultivating a non-sectarian spirit of sometimes 
vigorous but always fraternal exchange of ideas with activists from the 
various components of the revolutionary and trade union left.

Pierrot was also involved in the social movement alongside the 
voiceless. In 1995, he co-founded, with Annie Pourre and Jean-Claude 
Amara, the association Droits devant!! (Rights First!!) following the 
memorable occupation by DAL (Right to Housing) of a building on Rue du 
Dragon in Paris's 6th arrondissement. Deeply committed to the struggles 
of undocumented immigrants, he also drafted the first "Appeal for the 
Autonomy of the Social Movement" in 1998, followed by a second appeal in 
1999, notably signed by Pierre Bourdieu.

Firm in his convictions, yet always open-minded, Pierrot also had a 
passion for vintage British motorcycles, which he restored. And then 
came his late university studies in applied economics and anthropology 
at the EHESS. Finally, there were the journals, the scientific and 
philosophical books he devoured. He was one of those people who, curious 
and rigorous, never stopped thinking. Firm in his convictions, but 
always open-minded. And increasingly concerned by the rise of new forms 
of capitalist productivism, and by the growing discrimination and 
far-right extremism.

Organizer of small reunions for alumni of UTCL and AL, he brought us 
together for meals, "Gasthaus" as he called them. Pierrot, a quiet 
pillar, a working-class elegance, a warm friend. A steadfast commitment 
to the fight for a society of justice and freedom.

Cécile Bernabeu, Marco Candore, Christian Mahieux, Gilles Re., Thierry 
Renard, Patrice Spadoni

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Hommage-Pierrot-adieu-a-un-militant-ouvrier-constant-et-chaleureux
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en