Despite the promulgation of the reform raising the retirement age to 64, its detractors are organizing to continue the challenge, in the street or in Parliament.
It seemed distant, Tuesday, June 6, when the inter-union set, May 2, the date of the fourteenth mobilization against the pension reform, the first after the promulgation of the law. The unions have chosen to call for a strike and a demonstration two days before the examination in the National Assembly of a bill to repeal the text, on the initiative of the independent group Liot.
The idea was to give ourselves some time, in order to“Go meet MPs everywhere to call on them to vote on this bill”wrote the intersyndicale in its communicated of May 2. Because the opponents of the reform and the unions have every intention of occupying the field during the next four weeks.
Several parliamentary initiatives
As of May 4, the National Rally group at the Assembly announced by a communicated the filing of a bill to set the retirement age at 62. On the same day, LFI deputy François Ruffin mentioned on Twitter a text to legalize the citizens’ initiative referendum, the day after the rejection of a referendum of shared initiative on pensions by the Constitutional Council.
Two initiatives that have almost no chance of succeeding: without a parliamentary niche planned for the RN group and that of La France insoumise, these two texts will not be on the Assembly’s agenda for several months. These decisions are above all symbolic and make it possible to give the image of a dispute which continues, almost five months after the very first demonstration against the pension reform, on January 19, 2023.
The bill brought by the Liot group worries the majority more. This heterogeneous group of 21 deputies takes advantage of the parliamentary calendar: its parliamentary niche, planned for a long time on June 8, will allow it to submit to debate a text which plans to reduce the retirement age to 62 years. He should receive the support of the Nupes, the RN and some LR deputies.
During the vote on the motion of censure carried by the Liot group, on March 20, only nine votes were missing for the opponents to bring down the government. On June 8, the vote will take place this time by a majority of the elected representatives present, which increases the chances of the text being adopted. It should then be rejected by the Senate, as highlighted Thursday, May 11 the president of the Renaissance group in the Assembly. “There will be no majority in the Senate [sur ce texte] since there is a majority in the Senate for the pension reform”said Aurore Bergé on France Inter.
Unions received at Matignon on May 16 and 17
Trade unions are also increasing their speaking out. Sophie Binet, the secretary general of the CGT, also displayed herself on May 10 alongside the Liot parliamentarians, to support their bill and “call all deputies” to vote for it.
A way to increase the pressure on the majority, a week before a series of meetings at Matignon between the unions and the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne. The CGT, the CFDT, the CFTC, the CFE-CGC and Force Ouvrière will be received individually on May 16 and 17. These two dates will again allow the unions to make their demands heard. “We are still on the demand for the withdrawal of this bad pension reform”warned on franceinfo the confederal secretary of the CGT Céline Verzeletti, on May 7, adding that “the appointment [pourrait tourner] quickly short”.
Demonstrations on May 11 and 23
For the opposition, and especially La France insoumise, the challenge must also be heard in the street, without waiting for the national call of June 6. “Everywhere, we are going to multiply the actions to bring down this law of shame”promises LFI deputy Thomas Portes on Twitter.
In addition to the multiple “casserolades” welcoming the trips of ministers, demonstrations are also taking place on Thursday, May 11 in several large cities, including Rennes, Paris, Lille and Rouen, at the call of youth organizations. “No one wants a return to normal, but everyone wants withdrawal”they write in a joint press release.
Locally, other demonstrations could be organized before June 6, as in Ille-et-Vilaine, where the inter-union calls for rallies in several cities of the department on May 23, in a press release quoted by France 3.
A national strike call on June 6
The left and the unions are obviously betting on the day of June 6 to obtain the withdrawal of the text. This mobilization is also supposed to influence the June 8 vote on the Liot bill repealing the law. “I call on the French to be mobilized THE June 6″ launched Fabien Roussel, the secretary national of the Communist Party, at the microphone of franceinfo. “The 8 dWell, we are going to do everything to have this majority in the Assembly.”
Critics of retirement at 64 are already planning to continue their fight after this deadline. The unions have notably planned to challenge the implementing decrees, which will be published before September 1.