PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) – French unions held their 14th day of protests on Tuesday against government plans to raise the retirement age to 64, in what could be a last-ditch effort to pressure lawmakers to repeal the law, which is already in law. Books.
President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to force reform with special constitutional powers sparked angry protests this spring, but the issue has moved slowly up the media agenda, making it harder for unions to mobilize.
“The protests have been going on for six months, which is unprecedented,” Sophie Binet, the new leader of the hardline CGT union, told BFM TV. “There’s a lot of anger but also exhaustion,” he said, adding that the strikers are feeling the pinch in paychecks.
However, Binet said on Tuesday that he had engaged in a “very high” level of mobilization and that the CGT union was ready to continue its fight against the reform in the coming weeks.
Macron, who is now enjoying a frightening recovery in the polls, launched a PR blitz after the reform was passed, criss-crossing the country to face popular anger and announce big investments in new technologies.
Between 400,000 and 600,000 people are expected to take part in demonstrations across France, down from more than a million who took part in marches at the height of pension protests earlier this year, officials said.
Trains between the cities may experience “slight disruption”, SNCF railway company said, while the metro network in Paris will operate a normal service. However, a third of flights from Paris-Orly airport have been cancelled.
“This will be one of the last days of protests against the reform,” Laurent Berger, head of the more moderate CFDT union, told Europe 1 radio.
The CFDT must now turn its anger against reform into an “expression of strength” in future with the government on issues such as improving working conditions and purchasing power, he said.
Unions, holding a rare united front on the full pension episode, are holding a nationwide strike two days before an opposition-backed bill aimed at scrapping the rise in the minimum pension age is due to be reviewed by parliament.
The provision is expected to be rejected by the speaker of the lower house, a member of Macron’s party, because under the French constitution, lawmakers cannot pass legislation that weighs on public finances without measures to offset those costs.
But unions believe a large protest crowd could pressure lawmakers to reconsider the bill and hold a vote anyway. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers said the bill’s rejection would renew public anger, branding such a move “undemocratic”.
Macron, who says reform is necessary to plug a massive deficit, hopes summer vacations and improved inflation numbers will help the public move forward.
The president’s popularity gained four points in June’s Elabe poll and eight points in the YouGov poll, although it still weakened by 30%.
Report by Michael Rose; Additional reporting by Dominic Vidalon, Editing by Hugh Lawson and Sharon Singleton
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