Union nationale des étudiants de france
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Students of France (Union Nationale des Étudiants de France or UNEF) is the main national students' union
in France
.
The organisation works to represent the interest of students towards the national and local Governments, the political parties, the government bodies concerned with higher education and the universities' administration. The organisation is also active on the international arena, particularly within the European Students' Union, ESU.
1946: adoption of the Charter of Grenoble which define the student as a "young intellectual worker". Since then, the UNEF has considered itself to be a part of the labour movement
. The creation in France of the students' social security and welfare systems are the result of UNEF activism
1950s: the UNEF led the protest for independence of Algeria
1968: May 68 revolt. On May 27, the meeting of the UNEF , most outstanding of the events of May 68, proceeds and gathers 30.000 to 50.000 people in the Stade Sebastien Charlety
.
1971 to 2001: the UNEF was split between UNEF-SE (Solidarité Étudiante, Students' solidarity) (affiliated to the French Communist Party
) and UNEF-US (Unité Syndicale, Union Unity) next UNEF-ID (Indépendante et Démocratique, Independence and democracy) (affiliated to the Internationalist Communist Organisation
and next to the Socialist Party
).
1986: the UNEFs led a victorious strike against student fees and selection at college admission
1995: major protest against a government project of minimum wage for youth lower than for other salaries
2001: the UNEFs eventually reunified under the name 'UNEF'.
2006: the UNEF and its chairman, Bruno Julliard
, played the major role in students' contestation of the prime minister
Dominique de Villepin
's Contrat première embauche.
The UNEF holds a national conference every two years. National conference is the sovereign body of the UNEF and decide the UNEF policy.
Conferences are contested by factions:
The conference also elects an administrative commission (Commission Administrative) to be the UNEF 'parliament' between conferences. The commission elects the National Board, the executive body.
The UNEF has also participated in the creation of different bodies related to students:
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The organisation works to represent the interest of students towards the national and local Governments, the political parties, the government bodies concerned with higher education and the universities' administration. The organisation is also active on the international arena, particularly within the European Students' Union, ESU.
History
1907: UNEF foundation by the merging of many AGEs (Associations Générales d'Étudiants, Students' General Associations) from different towns at a meeting held in LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
1946: adoption of the Charter of Grenoble which define the student as a "young intellectual worker". Since then, the UNEF has considered itself to be a part of the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
. The creation in France of the students' social security and welfare systems are the result of UNEF activism
1950s: the UNEF led the protest for independence of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
1968: May 68 revolt. On May 27, the meeting of the UNEF , most outstanding of the events of May 68, proceeds and gathers 30.000 to 50.000 people in the Stade Sebastien Charlety
Stade Sebastien Charlety
Stade Sebastien Charléty, known simply as Stade Charléty or just Charléty, is a multi-use stadium in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. Officially, the current capacity of the stadium is 20,000 people. The stadium opened in 1938 and was designed by French architect Bernard Zehrfuss...
.
1971 to 2001: the UNEF was split between UNEF-SE (Solidarité Étudiante, Students' solidarity) (affiliated to the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
) and UNEF-US (Unité Syndicale, Union Unity) next UNEF-ID (Indépendante et Démocratique, Independence and democracy) (affiliated to the Internationalist Communist Organisation
Internationalist Communist Organisation
The Internationalist Communist Organisation was a Trotskyist political party in France. Its successor is the Internationalist Communist Current of the Workers Party.-Origins:...
and next to the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
).
1986: the UNEFs led a victorious strike against student fees and selection at college admission
1995: major protest against a government project of minimum wage for youth lower than for other salaries
2001: the UNEFs eventually reunified under the name 'UNEF'.
2006: the UNEF and its chairman, Bruno Julliard
Bruno Julliard
Bruno Julliard is the former chairman of the UNEF, the main student union in France. He studies public law at the University of Lyon....
, played the major role in students' contestation of the prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007....
's Contrat première embauche.
Democracy
Today, the UNEF is still composed of the different AGEs. There is one AGE in each town where a university is located, except in Paris, where there is a AGE by university. Membership is individual: every student can choose to join the AGE of his/her home town.The UNEF holds a national conference every two years. National conference is the sovereign body of the UNEF and decide the UNEF policy.
Conferences are contested by factions:
- Majorité Nationale (National Majority): 80% of the votes in 2007
- Tendance pour une UNEF Unitaire et Démocratique (For a unitarian and democratic UNEF): 13%
- Tendance Refondation Syndicale (Union's refoundation): 7%
The conference also elects an administrative commission (Commission Administrative) to be the UNEF 'parliament' between conferences. The commission elects the National Board, the executive body.
Creation
The UNEF has created many national federations:- CECED (Comité Étudiant Contre l'Extrême Droite, Students' Committee against Far Right)
- FERUF (Fédération des Étudiants en Résidences Universitaires de France, Resident Students Federation)
- UCEF (Union des Coopératives Étudiantes de France, Union of Students' Cooperatives)
- FENEC (Fédération Nationale des Étudiants Chercheurs)
The UNEF has also participated in the creation of different bodies related to students:
- MNEF, then replaced by LMDE in 2000 (La Mutuelle Des Etudiants) which operates the students' social security system
- ESIB in 1981, named ESU in 2007 (European Students Union)