14

The question of civil servants’salaries was a particularly important issue at the time of the Liberation, given the erosion of purchasing power and the reclassification of the various categories of civil servants in a single grade-linked grid. Although at first most strikes were staged within single categories, it soon became apparent that common actions would be necessary. However, learning to go on strike turned out to be a difficult process: multi-category strikes were considerably weakened by refusals on the part of the unions, in particular FO and the CGT, to cooperate with each other. Thus, the Fourth Republic was a time of only piecemeal and inefficient strikes.