PARIS (Reuters) – French unions held a 14 day of protests on Tuesday against government plans to raise the retirement age to 14 ) , which may be a last-ditch attempt to pressure lawmakers to repeal laws that have been codified.
President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to impose special constitutional powers on reforms sparked a spring of angry protests, but the issue has slowly moved down the media agenda, leaving unions It’s harder to mobilize.
“The protests have been going on for six months, which is unprecedented,” new leader Sophie Binet of the hardline CGT union said on BFM television. “There’s a lot of anger, but there’s also fatigue,” she said, adding that the strikers felt the pay crunch. The CGT union is poised to continue opposing the reforms in the coming weeks.
Macron, now bounced back slightly in the polls, was frustrated by launching a PR blitz after the reforms were passed – across the country to deal with public outrage while announcing a stance against new technology. Invest heavily.
between 600,) and 600, Authorities said protests across France were expected to be below the 1 million-plus mark during the most violent marches against pensions earlier this year.
The SNCF rail company said there would likely be only “minor disruptions” to intercity trains, while Paris’ metro network would run a normal service. However, a third of flights from Paris-Orly airport have been cancelled.
The more moderate CFDT union told Europe 1 radio. power, he said.
Unions have maintained a rare united front throughout the pensions saga, holding a nationwide strike two days before the opposition launched a bill aimed at scrapping minimum pension age increases for consideration by parliament.
The clause is expected to be rejected by the Speaker of the House of Commons, a member of Macron’s party, because under the French constitution, lawmakers cannot offset the costs by legislating public finances that put pressure on the government.
But unions hope the massive protest vote will force lawmakers to review the bill and hold a vote anyway. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers said the defeat of the bill would stoke public outrage and branded any such move “anti-democratic”.
Macron said reforms were essential to plug the massive deficit, hoping the upcoming summer holidays and improving inflation data would help the public keep going.
The president’s approval rating increased by 4 points in the June monthly Elabe poll and 8 points in the YouGov poll, although it remains in 30%.
