MILLIONS of French workers, youth and their families on Thursday took part in the latest strikes and mass demonstrations across the country against the Macron government.
Anger and riots erupted last weekend after the hated pension ‘reform’ to up the retirement age from 62 to 64 was imposed without a vote in the National Assembly.
Nationwide demonstrations took place on Thursday, March 23. The largest protest was in Paris, where tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the Place de la Bastille from 2pm.
Strike action has been continuing. The national railways operator, SNCF, on Monday warned of disruption to intercity and regional train services.
The RATP network in the Paris region was also impacted, with two out three trains running on several lines.
Disruptions were continuing until Thursday, when the services were more seriously affected by the national strike.
Meanwhile, industrial action in oil refineries started to impact fuel supplies, as of Monday, March 20.
Fuel service stations were experiencing some shortages of fuel, particularly in Marseille and the south of France. More severe shortages were predicted in the coming days.
Clashes that took place on Tuesday at the ExxonMobil oil refinery in Fos-sur-Mer, near the city of Marseille, left three seriously injured, according to the Marseille police headquarters.
Officials from the French Ministry of Energy had ordered refinery employees to resume operations.
But scuffles broke out as protesters gathered to express their opposition to the government’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64.
Protesters threw projectiles at riot police who had invaded the refinery site with tear gas.
Several refineries across the country were still unable to deliver their products on Tuesday after two weeks of strikes that disrupted power generation and supply.
The clashes in Fos-sur-Mer were the latest incident in the climate of nationwide social unrest caused by the retirement age reform proposed by President Emmanuel Macron, which was adopted by Parliament without a vote.
The CGT union federation said: ‘Faced with the refusal to submit the text to the vote and to resort to article 49.3 to have the pension reform adopted, the mobilisation continues, the next one will take place on Thursday March 23.
‘With the support of the vast majority of the population, mobilised for weeks, the inter-union continues to demand the withdrawal of this reform, in complete independence, in calm and determined actions.’
The unions decided to continue the mobilisation and called for local union rallies last weekend and for a new big day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday March 23rd.
The CGT declared on Monday: ‘The popular majority votes against the pension reform, the fight continues!
‘Against public opinion, against unions, and without a vote. Adopted with forceps, the pension reform is rejected by 95% of workers. In the aftermath of 49.3, 65% of citizens want the movement to continue.
‘The inter-union petition has collected more than a million signatures with popular support and that of the working world, which is not giving up. The fight continues, we need a citizen consultation.
‘The impetus of the street and union unity is such that Emmanuel Macron would not have had the majority to vote for his pension reform. The use of 49.3 reveals yet another disavowal and the success of popular mobilisation.’
‘France is going through a major parliamentary and political crisis, and obviously the powerful social mobilisation for two months has weighed enormously on the positions of the deputies. They have understood how much the world of work and the popular majority reject this brutal and unfair pension reform,’ sums up Nathalie Verdeil, confederal secretary of the CGT.
The CGT stressed last Friday: ‘Since the first demonstrations of January 19, millions of people have marched tirelessly and calmly, week after week, almost everywhere in France.
‘Demonstrating their fierce opposition to the reform project which shifts the retirement age to 64, ignores long careers, hardship at work, the precariousness of seniors, gender inequality.
‘And if all the employees are not registered in the renewable strike, mainly for financial reasons, the support of the world of work and the population is there.
‘Again this weekend, and before the new day of mobilisation on March 23, citizen rallies have been formed in Paris and in the regions.
‘Faced with the determined struggle of the world of work, youth, retirees, entire families, within the framework of a solid inter-union, Emmanuel Macron and Elisabeth Borne were unable to obtain a majority in the National Assembly for a reform so disputed and questionable.
‘However, it was enough to open your eyes, to watch the streets pass by in so many cities, to analyse the polls, to count the number of signatories of the inter-union petition online (nearly 1.2 million to date), not to remain deaf to protest and not to refuse dialogue with the trade unions. In short, to listen to citizens.
‘95% of workers are against reform.
‘And the day after the government’s refusal to submit the text to a vote by resorting to Article 49.3 of the Constitution, the majority of the population voted against: 65% of citizens were in favour of continuing the movement (Harris Interactive poll for RTL of March 17). The majority rejects the reform.’
‘When you don’t want to go to the vote, there are democratic risks and today, the executive couple finds themselves trapped,’ notes Nathalie Verdeil.
Consultation, RIP
The CGT has always said that it is in favour of a citizen consultation on the pension reform.
If it is a referendum of shared initiative (RIP) proposing the abandonment of the text, it is necessary that 185 parliamentarians request it, then the process lasts nine months and it takes at least 4.8 million signatures (10% of the body electoral). But it’s playable.
‘In the meantime, the common fight continues, the majority of the population supports us.
‘See you on Thursday March 23 to show our determination.
‘The strong mobilisation must force the executive not to apply its reform adopted in defiance of democratic principles, and massively rejected.’
- Frederic Souillot General Secretary of Force Ouvrière union federation said: ‘FO recalls its attachment to democracy and republican values, but can only condemn the use of 49-3 to pass a reform rejected by more than 2/3 of the population and more than 90% of employees.
‘It is a failure for the government to legitimise an unjust and brutal project, fought in the streets and by the strike within the framework of historic and massive mobilisations throughout France.
‘This reform is deeply illegitimate: social illegitimacy, popular illegitimacy and henceforth democratic illegitimacy.
‘If the motions of censure were rejected, the mobilisation on March 23 must only be more massive to defeat the government’s project. A calm but determined mobilisation, which has always characterised our movement.
‘FO called for a strike on January 19 and supports the mobilisations, initiatives and renewable strikes in progress throughout the territory which expresses the rejection of all.
‘Mobilisation and strikes are the weapon of the workers. Let’s use it, this Thursday, March 23.
‘49.3 or not, there is no option but to withdraw.’
