French unions put pressure on Macron with 300 protests across the country

French unions do not want to give in to Emmanuel Macron and this Thursday they are living their ninth day of mobilization in just over two months against the pension reform and the first since its controversial adoption by decree defended by the president. Police intelligence anticipates strong involvement in the more than 300 protests across the country, between 600,000 and 800,000 peopleas well as the presence of radical groups and yellow vests, especially in Paris, for which 12,000 agents will be deployed throughout the country, of which 5,000 in the capital.

Last night, spontaneous protest marches were repeated in different cities, which in some turned into arguments and clashes with law enforcement. Demonstrations will be held in day of a significant extension of the strikes that are taking place more or less unhindered in public transport, in refineries, in energy, in garbage collection or in education. Due to the strike of air traffic controllers, 30% of flights at Paris Orly airport and 20% at Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon were canceled early.

Today, only half of the high-speed trains (TGV), the rest of the intercity trains and none, and a third of the regional ones, operate. And in the Paris area, depending on the lines, between 50% and 80% were cancelled. Added to this is the very disturbed situation in the Paris metro, since only two automatic lines (1 and 14) are working normally, while the working hours on the others are shortened and there are much fewer trains than usual. Refineries are either paralyzed or have strikers at the entrance to prevent the flow of fuel and, although the Government imposed the return to work of some employees in strategic locations, the percentage of gas stations that remained without a product does not stop growing.

The blockade of the Gonfreville warehouse in Normandy, which supplies Paris airports, threatens to extend the shortage to air traffic. In the capital, thousands of tons of garbage are still piled up on the streets in some districts due to a collection strike lasting more than two weeks. Macron’s intervention on Wednesday, defending his pension reform and taking the political toll this Wednesday, appears to have further warmed spirits, at least among those still willing to continue the contest.

Unions condition Macron

The leader of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT, the first trade union in the country), Laurent Berger, expressed dissatisfaction with Emmanuel Macron and his willingness to turn the page on the pension reform, which has already been adopted, and warned that he would set the conditions for dialogue on any topic. “If it’s about cosmetic measures, the answer is no”warned Berger in an interview with the BFMTV channel on Thursday.

The General Secretary of the CFDT responded to Macron’s words in a television interview on Wednesday, in addition to justifying his reform. —”It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity”—, complained that the unions had not proposed any compromise, but also said he wanted to renew social dialogue on working conditions. Berger, whose union is characterized by its moderation and involvement in many agreements in the past – also for previous pension reforms – said the CFDT would participate in the discussions “but with two conditions”.

The first, that it is not only about listening to them, but that they are not really taken into account, as he complains about what happened with pensions, and the second, that it is known how far the Government is ready to go. Asked if the protests will continue despite the fact that the pension reform has already been formally adopted, he answered yes “It was not confirmed by the Constitutional Council”. An allusion to the resources presented by the opposition (both left and extreme right) but also by the Government itself to try to speed up its investigation.

So far, the unions have remained united in rejecting the reform. Everyone condemns the violence that some demonstrations have turned into due to the actions of radical groupsbut unlike the CFDT, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT, the second in the country) is behind almost all strikes that have been taking place for more than two weeks in public transport, energy, garbage collection or refineries.

decline in popularity

President Macron’s public explanations on the pension reform are considered by 61 percent of the French They will not help reduce the tension. and that, instead, it will exacerbate the social unrest that has led to virtually constant protests in recent days.

However, only 11 percent of the population believes that after these words there will be a decrease in tension on the street, according to a survey by Elabe for the BFMTV network. 71 percent of the 1,037 respondents believe that the president was not convincing in his arguments. Almost two out of three people consider the French president a bad president, and almost seven out of ten see him as arrogant and authoritarian, both adjectives used by the leaders of the political opposition in recent days. 72 percent of the surveyed citizens do not like the reform and consider it unfair.

63 believe that, contrary to what the Government says, it will not guarantee the survival of the public pension system, and 56 percent believe that it is directly unnecessary. As for the protests, according to the BFMTV poll, 65 percent of the French are in favor of their continuation.