Bl - Matignon Agreement

For the 2026 philatelic program and as part of the Grandes Heures de l'Histoire de France series, La Poste has chosen to honor the Matignon Accords, established under the presidency of Léon Blum. The Matignon Accords On May 3, 1936, the Popular Front coalition won the legislative elections. On June 6, for the first time, a Socialist, Léon Blum, was sworn in as President of the Council. An advocate of a demand-led recovery inspired by the American New Deal, Léon Blum was confronted with an unprecedented social movement, with a total of nearly three million strikers. These strikes, with their occupation of the premises, were a celebration: improvised balls, card games, theater, and even a tour by Tino Rossi, who came to sing in front of the Galeries Lafayette salesgirls. "Philosopher Simone Weil wrote: "At last, we can breathe! The bosses panic and believe it's time for a revolution. So they begged Léon Blum to organize a meeting with the CGT to work out a new social contract. Discussions began at 3pm on June 7 at the Hôtel de Matignon. Discussions were tense but courteous. Duchemin, president of the CGPF, forerunner of Medef, expressed his shame at being presented with a figure for the lowest wages. At the time, there was no minimum wage. At midnight 40, the agreements were signed, marking an incredible social advance: collective agreements, election of staff delegates, a ban on all penalties for strike action and a 7-15% pay rise. The other two main demands, the 40-hour week and two weeks' paid vacation, were voted through by MPs on June 11 and 12. Strikes slowly subsided, and the river of workers returned to its banks. The Matignon Accords became a benchmark and a great myth for the Left. For Léon Blum, they were to mark the beginning of a new era, one of permanent discussion between capital and labor instead of regular confrontation. But this was not to be. In spite of everything," he wrote, "I had brought a kind of embellishment to difficult lives. Jean-Yves Le Naour

Bloc de deux timbres-poste (taille-douce) : création et gravure Nicolas BICAL, timbres et fond de bloc d'après photos : "Léon Blum (1872-1950), homme politique français, à une manifestation au Mur des Fédérés. Paris, vers 1936" (c) Roger-Viollet