France on fire because of increase in retirement age
2023.01.31 11:59
France on fire because of increase in retirement age
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – On Tuesday, in the second day of nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to make people work longer before they retire, striking workers disrupted deliveries at French refineries, public transportation, and schools.
As a test of Macron’s ability to implement change now that he has lost his working majority in parliament, huge crowds marched through cities across France to protest a reform that raises the retirement age by two years to 64.
Only one in three high-speed TGV trains and even fewer local and regional trains were operating on the rail networks. The Paris metro’s services were thrown off track.
Many of them said that they would march in front of banners that read “No to the reform” or “We won’t give up” and that they would continue to do so until the government changed its mind.
“Until we’re 64, we won’t drive!” At a protest on the Atlantic coast in Saint-Nazaire, bus driver Isabelle Texier stated.
“It’s easy for the president. She continued, “He sits in a chair… he can work even until he’s 70.” It is impossible for us to require roof layers to work until the age of 64.
Unions stated that initial data from protests across the country showed a greater turnout after January 19, when more than a million people took to the streets on the first nationwide strike day.
Prior to the Paris march, the head of France’s largest union, CFDT, Laurent Berger, stated:
“It’s better than on the 19th… it’s a real message sent to the government, saying we don’t want the 64 years.”
According to polls, the majority of French people oppose the reform, but Macron intends to maintain his position. He stated on Monday that the reform was “vital” to guarantee the pension system’s viability.
During negotiations between Macron’s ruling alliance and conservative opponents, who are more open to pension reform than the left, some felt resigned.
“It would be pointless to go on strike. “Matthieu Jacquot, who works in the luxury industry and is 34 years old, stated that this bill will be adopted in any case.”
According to unions, half of primary school teachers had quit their jobs. Compared to Jan. 19, TotalEnergies reported that 55% of its morning shift workers at its refineries had lost their tools. The figure was not accurate, according to the hard-left CGT union.
Maintaining a strike movement when wages are being eroded by high inflation will be difficult for unions.
Some locals announced “Robin Hood” activities that the government had not authorized. The local CGT trade union branch shut down several speed cameras and disabled smart power meters in the southwest of Lot-et-Garonne.
“It would be dangerous for the government not to listen when there is such a massive opposition,” stated Mylene Jacquot, secretary general of the civil servants branch of the CFDT union.
According to estimates from the Labour Ministry, the reform of the pension system would result in additional annual pension contributions totaling 19.18 billion euros.
Unions say there are other ways to get money, like taxing the super rich or asking wealthy pensioners or employers to put in more money.
The UNSA union’s secretary general, Luc Farre, stated, “This reform is unfair and brutal.”
According to data from utility group EDF (EPA), workers at nuclear reactors and thermal plants joined the strike, which resulted in a reduction in the supply of electricity in France of 4.5 percent, or 3 gigawatts (GW). showed.
According to TotalEnergies, although deliveries of petroleum products from its French locations had been halted, customers’ requirements had been met.
During the process of writing the legislation, the government made some concessions. The government is also promising a minimum pension of 1,200 euros per month, in addition to the 65-year-old retirement age that Macron had originally proposed.
The 64-year-old age limit is “non-negotiable,” according to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, but the government is looking into ways to mitigate some of the impact, particularly on women.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, a leader of the hard-left opposition and a vocal opponent of the reform, stated that a motion calling for a referendum on the subject would be discussed in parliament on Monday.
At a march in Marseille, he declared, “The French are not stupid.” It ought to be possible to persuade the populace that this reform is essential.”
