Jean Desmaison (12 October 1931 – 17 September 1991) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

trade union leader. Born in

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

, Desmaison's mother died when he was three, and he was largely raised by his grandmother. He became a miller in 1951, and joined the

French Confederation of Christian Workers The French Confederation of Christian Workers (french: italic=no, Confédération française des travailleurs chrétiens; CFTC) is one of the five major French confederation of trade unions, belonging to the social Christian tradition. It was ...

(CFTC), in order to take part in a strike at his workplace, despite being an atheist. He then spent a year doing military service, and when he returned to work in 1954, he decided to instead join the General Confederation of Labour's affiliate, the

Metalworkers' Federation The Metalworkers' Federation (french: Fédération des travailleurs de la métallurgie, FTM) is a trade union representing workers in the metallurgical industry in France. The union was founded in May 1909 and brought together the Federal Union o ...

. He soon became branch secretary of the union, then in 1956 became deputy general secretary of its local section. In 1960, he joined the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

(PCF), and in 1962, he began working full-time for the union's secretariat, focusing initially on electronics workers, and then on the aviation sector. In 1966, Desmaison was elected as general secretary of the

Trade Union International of Workers in the Metal Industry The Trade Union International of Workers in the Metal Industry was a trade union international affiliated to the World Federation of Trade Unions. History The TUI was founded at a conference in Turin, Italy on June 2, 1949 as the Trade Union In ...

, and spent three years working in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. He was there during the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...

, and this influenced him to leave the post. He returned to work for the Metalworkers' Federation, becoming federal secretary in 1979, and winning election as general secretary in 1988. From 1989, he served on the executive of the CGT, but he retired from all his posts in 1991, after being diagnosed with cancer, and died a few days later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desmaison, Jean 1931 births 1991 deaths French trade union leaders People from Limoges