Mouvement national des chômeurs et précaires

The Mouvement national des chômeurs et précaires (MNCP) is a French association founded in 1986 by Maurice Pagat, who served as its president until 1992. It traces its origins to Maurice Pagat's 1981 call for the creation of an unemployed workers' union, followed by the first such union in 1982 and the first Maison des Chômeurs in 1984. The MNCP runs local places for defending the rights of the unemployed and precarious workers, and carries out national advocacy, institutional representation and expertise on unemployment. Its stated platform calls for strengthening public employment services, guaranteeing a decent income and equal rights for all, and creating decent, lasting, non-precarious jobs.

The MNCP traces its history to 1981, when Maurice Pagat, an unemployed executive, issued a call for the creation of an unemployed workers' union, arguing it was urgent and indispensable to invite the unemployed to refuse isolation, resist, defend themselves, organize and finally speak out. On the basis of that call, a first unemployed workers' union was formed in 1982. In 1984 the first Maison des Chômeurs was created, which also hosted the first meeting of European unemployed workers (German, English and Italian). In 1985 the union's first large demonstration brought 7,000 protesters into the streets. In 1986 Maurice Pagat created the Mouvement National des Chômeurs et Précaires and served as its president until 1992. In 1989 the MNCP organized a European meeting of the unemployed at Bais in Mayenne ahead of elections to the European Parliament, and in 1991 it organized a demonstration in Paris with its member associations and was received at the Ministry of Labour.

1. 1MNCP - Accueilmncp.fr
2. 2Histoire - MNCPmncp.fr