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What’s trending for Tuesday?

Trade unions and left-wing parties are calling again on Tuesday for opposition to the pension reform. Schools and public transport in particular went on strike. Only every fifth TGV train should run. Long-distance drivers also want to block access roads to the highway. Oil refineries are also likely to be blocked.

Demonstrations are planned in 260 French cities. The unions are united and hope for more than a million participants. This number is considered an indicator of the success of the protests. The bill has been under discussion in the French parliament for weeks.

What drives the opponents of reform?

The main opponent is the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. It is seen as a social step backwards. Moreover, the timing for such a reform seems ill-chosen: since the Covid pandemic, the increasing home office and the record heat of the summer of 1922, criticism of the performance-oriented social model has increased in France. Many young people want to work less – not more.

Which population groups are particularly affected?

The unions argue that women have more to lose from the reform than others, as their careers and contributing years are often interrupted by motherhood. The government replies that it will take this into account when making new concessions.

French seniors are also suffering. They are fired by their employer more often than in other countries: in France, only 56 percent of over-55s have a job. The cabinet only responded to this during the parliamentary debate: it wants to encourage bus companies to employ a minimum proportion of seniors and is planning a special employment contract with a protective effect for them.

How is Macron responding to the mass protests?

The unpopular president consciously stays out of the firing line. However, his government is not succeeding in bringing the reform objective closer to the population. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has not even managed to sell “leftist” aspects of the reform – such as the introduction of a minimum pension of 1,200 euros: to this day it is unclear how far the exceptions to this very expensive measure will go .

The situation for Macron is also complicated because his camp lacks a majority in the National Assembly, leaving the president dependent on the support of conservative Republicans. Surprisingly, they are increasingly demanding social pensions. The macronists suspect that they want to bring down the government.

How will it continue?

The CGT union is calling for the strike to continue “indefinitely”, at least in the Paris metro. It generally tries to extend Tuesday’s protests to all week and maybe even beyond. Leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has called on his compatriots to paralyze the country. “Block as many as you can,” he shouted to his student audience.

The cabinet warns against the radicalization of the protests, which could quickly lead to violence and riots. That would be counterproductive. According to surveys, up to 70 percent of the French remain against the reform for the time being. In 1995 Prime Minister Alain Juppé had to cancel an equally unpopular pension reform after three weeks of protests and lockdowns. Macron can hardly afford to back down politically as pension reform is at the heart of his two five-year terms in office. The decision should come in the coming days. It will be a make or break battle. (aargauerzeitung.ch)