France’s labor unions have called for a massive turnout on Saturday at protests across the country against raising the retirement age, in a key test of whether they can revive momentum against President Emmanuel Macron’s flagship reform.
(Bloomberg) — France’s labor unions have called for a massive turnout on Saturday at protests across the country against raising the retirement age, in a key test of whether they can revive momentum against President Emmanuel Macron’s flagship reform.
Opponents of the changes to the state pension system have so far concentrated their efforts on organizing marches on weekdays in conjunction with calls for general strikes.
Turnout declined at the most recent protests on Tuesday, however, after the government offered some concessions in an ongoing parliamentary debate. Unions also say their members can’t afford to forgo wages in repeated walkouts.
“I’m expecting a lot of people tomorrow,” Laurent Berger, the leader of the CFDT union, told France Info radio on Friday. “Everyone needs to be able to participate and bring their neighbors, their kids and anyone who wants to join this festive, friendly event.”
In France, the breadth and dynamics of street protests have often proved make-or-break for past presidents’ reform efforts. In 1995, Jacques Chirac’s government dropped a pension overhaul amid strikes, and prolonged student-led protests forced a U-turn on labor laws in 2006, even after parliament had approved changes.
In 2010, President Nicolas Sarkozy pushed ahead with raising the retirement age to 62 from 60 despite months of upheaval. Macron now wants to lift it further to 64.
Read more: Why the French Are Angry About a Plan to Retire at 64: QuickTake
“Demonstrating isn’t the only way to oppose the pension reform but it’s an important one because it’s the most symbolic and tangible,” said Adelaide Zulfikarpasic, director of polling company BVA France. “For the government, if turnout is lower, it’s an opportunity to say that the movement is losing steam.”
Some recent polls have shown defiance may have started to fade. According to an Elabe survey of 1,001 French people for BFM TV, opposition to the pension reform fell to 65% on Feb. 8 from a peak of 72% on Jan. 25. The polling company’s research also showed slightly fewer people consider raising the pension age to be an unfair or ineffective measure.
The main labor unions will meet on Saturday evening to discuss their next steps, with another day of strikes already slated for Feb. 16, when the age measures of the reform are due to be debated at the National Assembly. Some have called for their members to prepare for more radical action including rolling strikes.
“We’re counting on the responsibility of the president and the government for us not to be obliged to step up the strikes,” Philippe Martinez, head of the leftist CGT union, said on Europe 1 radio on Friday. “When the country is as angry as this, you listen.”
What Bloomberg Economics Says:
“Widespread strikes against the government’s plans to raise the retirement age will further test the economy’s resilience. A protracted period of high inflation and weaker economic performance will add to the political challenges faced by President Emmanuel Macron, as he pushes forward with his controversial pension reform.”
—Maeva Cousin, economist. For full analysis, click here
Macron has so far shown little sign he will back down. Speaking on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in the early hours of Friday morning, the French leader told reporters that unions must not “block the life of the rest of the country.”
–With assistance from Ania Nussbaum, Samy Adghirni and Maeva Cousin (Economist).
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