AFP News
Mass rallies and strikes in France over Macron’s pension reform
More than a million people demonstrated in France and strikes disrupted mass protests on Tuesday against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to extend the retirement age to 64. Police used tear gas in Paris and minor clashes also took place in the western city of Nantes, but the more than 260 union-organized rallies across the country were mostly peaceful. Union leaders had promised to bring France “to a standstill” on the biggest day of action in a series of work stoppages this year – a goal that proved beyond their reach judging by the busy streets of major cities. However, only one in five regional and high-speed trains operated, and the Paris Metro system operated on a skeletal timetable. Garbage began piling up in the capital after garbage collectors stopped working. “The government has to take (resistance) into account when there are so many people on the streets, when they are struggling so hard to explain and pass their reform,” CFDT union leader Laurent Berger said as she led the rally in Paris stood. – Unions plan more action – The Home Office said 1.28 million people demonstrated across the country, making it one of the largest protests in decades and slightly larger than a recent round of demonstrations on Jan. 31. The CGT union put the number at 3.5 million. Tuesday’s protests seem unlikely to affect 45-year-old Macron, who has campaigned for pension reform since taking office in 2017 to address deficits projected for decades to come. Analysts see the centrist as determined to move forward, with parliament expected to vote on the bill as early as next week. Unions called for an urgent meeting with Macron on Tuesday night. But they also announced more days of action, including protests on Saturday. U-turn? – Speeches by political opponents and union leaders on Tuesday tried to persuade voters that only massive popular opposition and protests could force the government to turn around, a common feature of French democracy. “On the one hand there is (Macron’s) will, on the other hand the will of the people,” said left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon at a demonstration in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille. “Who should have the last word? Of course it should be the people,” he added, calling for new elections or a referendum on the changes. Around two out of three people are against the reform, but around the same number believe it will be implemented, according to a survey by the Elabe survey group published on Monday. Most people support the strikers, polls show this too. Ali Toure, a 28-year-old construction worker, was waiting for a delayed train north of Paris on Tuesday morning but said it’s “no big deal” if he’s a month late for work. You’re right to be conspicuous Work is tough,” he said. A blockade of oil refineries, underway since Tuesday morning, has the potential to cause severe disruption if it continues in the coming weeks. Around one was missing on Tuesday, according to the ministry and the company A third of teachers, a quarter of civil servants and half of employees at state-owned energy company EDF – ‘Work longer’ – The government argues that raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, removing worker privileges in some sectors and tightening regulations of the requirements for a full pension are needed to balance the pension system. France lags behind most of its European neighbors in doing so have raised the retirement age to 65 or over. Its pension spending is the third-highest among developed countries, equivalent to 14.5 percent of GDP, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. We want to keep this system running, we need to work longer,” Macron said last month. But unions dispute that conclusion, saying small increases in contributions could keep it solvent. They also argue that the proposed measures are unfair and would have a disproportionately small impact on early career professionals and women. The bill will now be debated in the Senate of the House of Lords, with a vote from both houses of Parliament expected by mid-le of the month or March 26 at the latest. Union leaders will meet on Tuesday night to decide their next steps.burs -adp/pvh
