Unions tried on Tuesday to shut down France in protest at the unpopular pension reform, the main project of Emmanuel Macron in his second five-year term as president of the republic. The strike, including in the subway and railways, in refineries, in education and in the metallurgical industry, as well as the more than 300 demonstrations across the country, pose the greatest challenge for Macron since the protests began in January.
The day did not block the country but caused significant traffic disruption and drew hundreds of thousands into the streets against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Above all, it has served to confirm that the social movement is not faltering. The malaise threatens to shape much of the remainder of Macron’s term, who was re-elected to a five-year term last June.
The novelty of the sixth day of mobilization is the will of the organizers to “stop” the country and the announcement of strikes not just for one day, but for a long time in the transport and energy spheres. The mobilization coincides with the scrutiny of the reform in the Senate, controlled by the moderate right Republican (LR), after the text’s frantic passage through the National Assembly, where Macron’s supporters make up the first bloc in the number of MPs, but you lack the absolute majority.
Organizers aimed to surpass the number of protesters on January 31, when 1.27 million people took to the streets in France’s cities, according to police figures and 2.5 million, according to union figures. According to the CGT union, 700,000 people demonstrated in Paris, the highest number of the six days of demonstrations. According to the Ministry of National Education, one in three school and institute teachers and teachers have joined the strike. According to the Ministry of Public Administration, one in four state officials joined the strike.
Some union action began before Tuesday, with cuts in power generation since the weekend and road transport blockades since Monday. The strike affects rail transport: only every fifth high-speed train travels within France and none to Spain. Flights from French airports are to be reduced by 20-30%. In Paris and the surrounding area, the number of underground and suburban trains has been reduced by at least half. The authorities have recommended teleworking to the French.
The mass demonstration in Paris, between Boulevard Raspail and Place de l’Italie, brought together Parisians of all ages and social statuses, not just the usual union activists. The presence of young people and university students was noticeable.
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The list of posters reflected the demands: “I want to retire before I get cancer.” “Increase wages, not retirement age.” “Yes, the sex is fine, but have you tried retirement?” “Live better: No to retirement at 64”. “After 64, 68”. This last poster alluded to May 1968, the last massive workers’ and students’ revolt in a country with a deep-rooted revolutionary tradition.
Violent incidents were recorded before the demonstration was over. Police officers arrested 11 people.
“It’s not just a protest against pensions, it’s a protest against Macron and his mindset, his ideology, which is no longer what the French expect,” said Cristobal, a 28-year-old educator. “It’s the ideology of working harder to produce things we don’t need, the ideology of increasing social inequalities around the world, the ideology of privatization and competition, the ideology of making people around the world compete with each other . Creating a somewhat nauseating atmosphere in society.
The day of the blockades is a test for Macron and for the unions and opponents of reform. It may happen that it is a last-ditch effort, spectacular but unsuccessful, to stop it, and that it does not convince the President to withdraw it and eventually authorize it. The other scenario is that the demonstrations and the economic and social impact of the blockades force him to withdraw them, or at least correct their key points.
“There is a right to strike, but to use words like bringing the French economy to its knees seems serious to me,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Monday. Laurent Berger, general secretary of the moderate CFDT union, lamented Macron’s unwillingness to negotiate at France Inter: “The President of the Republic can no longer be deaf [al rechazo de la reforma]“.
Protests in the city of Caen against the new pension law this Tuesday. LOU BENOIST (AFP)
Unions want to shut down France in protest at the unpopular pension reform that raises the retirement age to 64, the main project of Emmanuel Macron in his second five-year term as president of the republic. In the picture, the participants of the Nantes march SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS (AFP)
Police take position during riots in Paris following anti-pension law demonstrations Aurelien Morissard (AP)
A young man pushes a burning container during the riots following Tuesday’s demonstrations in Nantes Jeremias Gonzalez (AP)
A man lights a torch during the protests in Nice on Tuesday.VALERY HACHE (AFP)
Burning tires in Gonfreville-L’Orcher, near Le Havre, during protests against pension reforms in France on Tuesday PASCAL ROSSIGNOL (Portal)
Organizers aim to surpass the number of protesters on January 31, when 1.27 million people took to the streets in France, according to police and 2.5 million, according to unions. Pictured is a general view of the train tracks at Gare du Nord station in Paris this Tuesday. Nathan Laine Bloomberg
Protest in Paris this Tuesday for the pension reform promoted by Emmanuel Macron Aurelien Morissard (AP)
A protester holds a cross with a note reading ‘The end of the world’ during a demonstration in Paris against pension reforms. SARAH MEYSSONNIER (Portal)
The novelty of the sixth day of mobilization is the will of the organizers to “stop” the country and the announcement of strikes not just for one day, but for a long time in the transport and energy spheres. In the picture, a group of young people take part in the demonstration in Nantes. SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS (AFP)
The mobilization coincides with the scrutiny of the reform in the Senate, controlled by the moderate right Republican (LR), after the text’s frantic passage through the National Assembly, where Macron’s supporters make up the first bloc in the number of MPs, but you lack the absolute majority. The picture shows a closed road in Sainte-Marie (La Réunion) this Tuesday. Richard Bouhet (AFP)
The day of the blockades is a test for Macron and for the unions and opponents of reform. Pictured are several users getting off a train at Paris Gare du Nord station.Nathan Laine (Bloomberg)
Macron justifies raising the retirement age to 64 with the aging of the population and the need to balance the books as there are fewer and fewer workers. In the picture the atmosphere of the protest in the old port of Marseille NICOLAS TUCAT (AFP)
The critics of the reform (trade unions, left parties and the extreme right) argue that it is socially unfair and that it would disadvantage people who entered the workforce earlier. Pictured is a protester dressed as a French President taking part in the Dunkirk protest. FRANCOIS LO PRESTI (AFP)
Former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La Francia Insumisa (LFI) has confirmed that the “direct” person responsible for the current situation is President Emmanuel Macron, whom he has asked to take “the democratic initiative”. Pictured are lorries queuing to catch the ferry at Calais this Tuesday. FRANCOIS LO PRESTI (AFP)
Dozens of protesters take part in a demonstration against the French government’s pension reform plan in Pont-Audemer.GONZALO FUENTES (Portal)
Several trade unionists warm themselves by a bonfire during a roadblock near Le Havre in north-western France on Tuesday. LOU BENOIST (AFP)
Macron justifies raising the retirement age to 64 with the aging of the population and the need to balance accounts as there are fewer workers to cover the pensions of more retirees. He argues that working two more years is the only way to preserve this pillar of the welfare state.
The reform’s critics (unions, left-wing parties and the extreme right) argue that it is socially unfair and will punish people who started work at a younger age with lower wages and more physically demanding jobs. They argue that it undermines the French social model.
The mood among the demonstrators in Paris was mixed. On the one hand, there is a stubborn rejection of the reform: according to polls, almost 70% of the French are against the reform. At the same time, a certain fatalism has spread: the idea that despite many protests and strikes, the reform has already been decided and Macron will not give in.
“I’m quite a pessimist,” admitted Caroline, a 46-year-old woman who took part in the Paris demonstration with her two teenage children. “I’m here to support difficult jobs. I work in an office, I can do it until I’m 65. But people with jobs that wear out, it’s indecent and scandalous to ask them to work more when their back hurts or they are ill”.
The legislative process becomes complicated. February 18 was the deadline for debates in the National Assembly, with no time for a vote. The law has now gone to the Senate and, if approved, must agree on a joint text with the National Assembly, which will then be submitted to both chambers for a vote.
The deadline for passing the law is the end of March. If the Macronistas do not get a majority, the government has the option to impose them through article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows the debates to end and pass them unless a motion of no confidence brings down the executive branch. But then she risks fueling sentiment in the unions, in the opposition and on the streets.
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