(Paris) Crucial week for pension reform. While the debates on the controversial text are to continue on Monday in the Senate, it is the vigil of arms for the opponents of Emmanuel Macron’s flagship project who want to put “France at a standstill” on Tuesday, or even later. beyond for some of them.
On the eve of a sixth day of actions which promises to be massive against the pension reform and its postponement of the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, the French, still according to polls mostly hostile to the project of l executive, must prepare to live 24 hours of a country “at a standstill” as promised by the unions whose morale is inflated by the success of previous mobilizations.
They want to do better than January 31, when the police had identified 1.27 million participants and the inter-union more than 2.5 million in the streets of France. The CGT has identified 265 gatherings. A record.
“At the beginning of January, people were mobilizing in a resigned way. But today, given the scale of the movement, more and more of them believe that a government retreat is possible, ”analyzed CGT leader Philippe Martinez in the JDD.
If the executive is watching what is being prepared in the street by urging opponents of “responsibility” such as the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt or his counterpart responsible for Public Accounts Gabriel Attal, he also has an eye on the Senate with a right-wing majority .
At the Luxembourg Palace, where the examination of the text is to continue on Monday, the debates progressed slowly throughout the weekend with the abolition of special regimes for newcomers and the creation of a “senior index” in companies, but only for those with more than 300 employees.
“We will do everything so that the reform can be adopted,” said Sunday the boss of LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, whose support for the reform is essential for Macronie. The examination of the text must end on the 12th.
Telecommuting, blockages
Mr. Retailleau also harshly criticized those who want to “bring France to its knees” by targeting the toughest opponents of the reform who have announced renewable strikes in the energy, refineries or transport sectors, also to the chagrin of the presidential camp. .
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is due to speak Monday evening on France 5.
Very strong disruptions are planned in urban and rail transport, all the unions having called for a renewable strike at the RATP and the SNCF, from Tuesday. For the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, it will be “one of the most difficult days we have known”.
At the SNCF, the strike notice begins Monday at 7 p.m. with one train in five on average for the TGV Inoui and Ouigo as well as for the TER. Intercity train traffic will be almost non-existent.
On the side of the Paris metro, most lines will see their circulation restricted mainly during rush hours, with the exception of lines 1, 4 and 14.
The government encourages those who can to telework even if this recommendation will apply more to urban executives than to workers and employees.
In energy, the unions opened the ball of mobilizations on Friday with production cuts in several nuclear power plants. The CGT promised “a black week”. On the fuel side, the CGT also called for a renewable strike in the refineries, with the aim of “blocking the entire economy”.
On the roads, the mobilization of truckers will be scrutinized.
Teachers will also be on strike again, with unions which have called for “Totally close schools, colleges, high schools”. High school student blockages are also expected even if the mobilization is struggling to take hold in the youth. Student and high school organizations met on the 9th to “strengthen the movement”.
Stopped construction sites, closed store curtains, open tolls and blocked roads are also part of the panoply of actions of opponents who will find the next day the opportunity to continue to be heard for International Women’s Rights Day.