PRESS RELEASE – MAY 12TH, 2004





Our rights are slashed

and Cannes is our megaphone.





We, film, theatre, music and dance professionals, artists and technicians, allied with all precarious, occasional workers are here in Cannes to make our voice heard.



Our struggle against our new specific unemployment regulations is not a corporatist defence of some privileges, it is an example of the defence of collective rights obtained in counterpart of mobility and discontinuity of work in our trades.



Today’s historical crisis within our unemployment system is the most important since 1982, the turning point when more than half of unemployed workers were denied unemployment benefits.



For the first time, this crisis is the result of the struggle of the unemployed themselves. Yesterday, legal action by unemployed collectives led to the cancelling of the general unemployment regulations of this country. Also, those unfairly excluded of their rights on Jan. 1st will be finally be reinstated. These are first victories.



Today is a major opportunity to define social rights for the unemployed and occasional workers on a new basis.



It is therefore urgent to obtain :



- the immediate repeal of the new film, theatre, music and dance specific unemployment regulations

- access to data of the organism in charge of collecting and allocating unemployment benefits (UNEDIC) and a truly independent audit of that institution and its function.

- immediate negotiation of a new general unemployment regulations with a democratic representation of those involved.



We call all waged workers and actually unemployed or in training workers to join us in this struggle.



In Cannes, we manifest along with all those who are struggling for European social and cultural politics that make sense.





What we are standing for is for everyone.







Les intermittents et précaires présents à Cannes