Louis Viannet (4 March 1933 – 22 October 2017) was a French trade union leader. Born in

Vienne, Isère Vienne (; frp, Vièna) is a town in southeastern France, located south of Lyon, at the confluence of the Gère and the Rhône. It is the fourth largest-commune in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture alongside La Tour-du- ...

, Viannet began training as a controller for the Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (PTT). During the strikes of 1953, he was inspired to join the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). He completed his training, and his compulsory military service, then returned to work for the PTT in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

. In 1962, he was elected as secretary of his local union of PTT workers, then in 1967, began working full-time for the

National Federation of PTT Workers The Federation of Employees in the Postal and Telecommunications Sector (french: Fédération des salariés du secteur des activités postales et de télécommunications, FAPT) is a trade union representing communication workers in France. The un ...

. He was elected as deputy general secretary of the union in 1972, also winning a place on the executive of the CGT, then as general secretary in 1979. In 1982, Viannet began working full-time in the CGT office, as director of '' La Vie Ouvrière'', the federation's weekly newspaper. He was also elected to the bureau of 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 Un ...

(PCF). Within the party, he was regarded as an orthodox figure, whereas the federation's general secretary,

Henri Krasucki Henri Krasucki (2 September 1924, Wołomin, Poland – 24 January 2003, France) was a French trade-unionist, former secretary general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) from 1982 to 1992. Early life Henri Krasucki's father, Iza ...

, was seen to be becoming more moderate, and distancing himself from the PCF. In 1992, Viannet was elected to succeed Krasucki but, contrary to expectations, he continued Krasucki's approach. In 1995, the CGT left the

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation o ...

, in order to join the social democratic

European Trade Union Confederation The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and ...

, and in 1996, he resigned from the bureau of the PCF, while still remaining on its national council. Under Viannet's leadership, membership of the CGT increased, and it placed first in the labour court election of 1997. He stood down from his union posts in 1999. In retirement, he suffered from poor health, but spent much of his time hunting. In 2015, he intervened in the crisis in the CGT, calling on general secretary Thierry Lepaon to resign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viannet, Louis 1933 births 2017 deaths French Communist Party members French trade union leaders People from Vienne, Isère