Tens of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday to decry government plans to revamp the nation’s pension system, in a key test of whether labor unions can revive momentum built in initial rounds of action.
(Bloomberg) — Tens of thousands of people marched across France on Saturday to decry government plans to revamp the nation’s pension system, in a key test of whether labor unions can revive momentum built in initial rounds of action.
Opponents of the changes to the pension system — notably, a plan to raise the retirement age — have so far concentrated their efforts on organizing marches on weekdays as well as calling for general strikes.
Turnout declined at the third round of protests, held Tuesday, after President Emmanuel Macron’s government offered some concessions. Unions also say their members can’t afford to forgo wages in repeated weekday walkouts.
Large crowds in France’s largest cities on Saturday suggested the unions had been successful in rallying the population. But there was little disruption to services, with most trains and public transportation functioning normally. The exception was at Orly airport near Paris, where half the flights were canceled in the afternoon.
Regardless of the turnout, 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.
“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
“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.”
Indeed, 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.
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 from first paragraph.)
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