French labor unions threatened to bring the nation to “a halt” in March as the number of protesters against government pension reform swelled to about 1 million on Saturday.
(Bloomberg) — French labor unions threatened to bring the nation to “a halt” in March as the number of protesters against government pension reform swelled to about 1 million on Saturday.
In the fourth day of action against the pension overhaul, which includes increasing the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62, 963,000 people joined street demonstrations around France, according to government figures.
The number is higher than the previous round of action last Tuesday, when 757,000 people took to the streets. But it is lower than the 1.2 million record turnout registered on Feb. 1.
As with many marches in France, there were occasional clashes between some protesters and police.
The unions have concentrated their efforts on organizing marches as well as calling for general strikes. They held the protest on Saturday since many workers can’t afford to forgo wages in repeated weekday walkouts.
While protest drew the largest turnout in Paris so far, with 93,000 people, there was little disruption to services, with most trains and public transportation functioning normally across the country. The exception was at Orly airport near Paris, where half the flights were canceled in the afternoon.
France’s most influential unions have called for another day of action on Feb. 16, when the age measures of the reform are due to be debated at the National Assembly.
In a joint statement, the unions threatened more radical actions, and said they’ll shut the country down on March 7 if the government doesn’t give in. The unions have millions of members across all sectors of the French economy, from teachers to bank workers, athletes and lawyers.
“We can do it,” Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union, told reporters on Saturday, citing full consensus between labor organizations on the need to step up pressure against Macron.
The breadth and dynamics of street protests in France have often proved make-or-break for past presidents’ reform efforts. In 1995, Jacques Chirac’s government dropped a pension overhaul plan after crippling strikes. Prolonged student-led protests forced a U-turn on labor laws in 2006, even after parliament had approved changes.
President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010 pushed ahead with raising France’s 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
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’ll back down. Speaking on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders on Friday, the French president told reporters that unions must not “block the life of the rest of the country.”
–With assistance from Ania Nussbaum and Maeva Cousin (Economist).
(Updates with protest turnout numbers, fresh comments)
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