Are protests over pension reform in France coming to an end? Although mobilization has lost some momentum, union leaders answer “No”. Between one and a half million peopleby unions and 380,000 according to the policedemonstrated against the rise in the exchange rate this Thursday. minimum age Retirement from 62 to 64 (with 43 years of contributions to receive full pension). It is the 12th day of strikes and protests against this unpopular measure, the 10th day under the legal framework of a law. General strike– marked by a setback in mobilization and took place on the eve of its proclamation. Constitutional Council.
All eyes in France are on this Friday’s sentence. The Gallic equivalent of the Constitutional Court. This sages (wise) must decide to justify the measure or to censor it partially or completely. It is not known where the bullets of his decision will go. No sentence of this body, which is made up of a mixture of senior judges and politicians, has created such high expectations in the media in the neighboring country. Not that there is a series of ‘Baron Noir’, in which the Constitutional has a central predominance in one of the episodes of this sometimes foreboding fiction about what is going on in French politics.
Eyes on the Constitution
“Be smart, censor!” confirmed a banner this Thursday hung in front of the Constitutional, whose headquarters is in central Paris, directly opposite the Louvre Museum. Militants affiliated with the SUD union and the alternative globalization collective ATTAC collected garbage containers in front of this building in their peaceful protest in the morning. This 12th day of the mobilizations coincided with the beginning of a war. new to hit unlimited by scavengers in the French capital. However, it is not known whether this time there will be as significant a follow-up by these essential workers as in March, when more than 10,000 tons of waste piled up on the streets of Paris after nearly 20 days of layoff.
“The decision of the Constitutional Court will leave its mark on history” end of a chapter, but not a book. (…) The union struggle is not over yet,” he said.
400,000 people, according to workers’ organizations, and 42,000, according to security forces, protested in a bifurcated parade on Paris’s boulevards. One of them went before the Constitutional Court and was taken under protection. comprehensive police apparatus. Despite some clashes between riot police and protesters on the Place de la Bastille, the protests were mostly festive and peaceful. This unrest They turned out to be less relevant than at the end of March.
“I’m afraid it won’t censor the measure”
It is not unimportant to the fatigue after almost three months of protests, and the fact that this 12th mobilization is one of the least crowded of the current wave – the 21st one million and 380,000 people in the vibrant neighboring country. In fact, they are far superior to Macron’s attempt to reform the French pension system, one of the most advanced systems in the Old Continent, than the biggest day of protest during the yellow vests revolt in 2018 and most of the demonstrations in 2019. guarantees a lower percentage of poor older people.
“Protests are dwindling, but that’s because people can’t give up their one day’s salary each week,” said Anne des Sables, 59, a computer scientist with the Paris regiment. “I’m afraid the Constitution will not censor the measure, only some of its articles, This militant from the CFE-CGC union will continue to increase the minimum retirement age,” he added. Initiative referendum, which the Constitutional Court must also decide. While the ‘wise men’ will approve, this unlikely referendum will have to go a long and winding road before it happens. It is unlikely that it will ultimately be celebrated in 2024 or 2025.