France

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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:36 pm

The people of France continue to denounce pension reform
February 9, 2023 Peoples Dispatch

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From the mobilization on February 7.

On February 7, while the French National Assembly was debating the controversial pension reforms proposed by the Emmanuel Macron-led government, the working class hit the streets once again in protest. Around 2 million people took part in mobilizations held in over 250 locations across France, called by the coordination of trade unions, left-wing parties, and youth groups. The protesters demanded that the French government finance a retirement at the age of 60 with full benefits with a minimum pension of 2,000 euros (2144 USD) per month. The president of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB/PVDA); Raoul Hedebouw, and a PTB delegation joined the mobilization in Paris in solidarity with the French working class. The unions have called for another round of mobilization on February 11.

The government’s plans to increase the retirement age, announced by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on January 10, sparked widespread protests from the workers of France. The government has proposed an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64, and workers will need to have worked for at least 43 years to get a full pension, starting from 2027. On January 19, around two million people participated in the mobilizations across France against the pension reforms. A second day of protest was organized on January 31. News outlets have reported that in many cities, the level of mobilization increased to 2.8 million compared to the first strike. Macron’s first attempt to change the pension system, during the first term of his presidency, was met with protests and postponed due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The MPs from the left-wing New Ecological and Social People’s Union (NUPES) coalition in the French National Assembly resolved to resist the pension reforms in the parliament.

On February 7, while addressing the National Assembly, Pierre Dharréville MP from the French Communist Party (PCF) said, “our pensions have always been too expensive for the big owners of the economy, the great owners of our lives. Right from the first penny. Plus, they are subjected to market and speculation.”

“Doesn’t our society where labor productivity increases year after year and the alleged cost of labor is reduced year after year, have the means to preserve a real right? Where does the extra wealth produced annually go? In the wages? In retirement? No, they mostly go into the big bottomless pocket of the shareholders,” he added.

On February 7, in a communique, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) stated that “in the context of galloping inflation, sharp rises in energy and everyday goods prices, a general price-indexed wage increase is more necessary than ever. This is one of the demands of the protesters and strikers that would also make it possible to strengthen the resources of pension schemes.”

https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2023/ ... on-reform/

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Protests continue in France against pension reform

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The General Confederation of Labor of France urged to question deputies and senators to reject the bill in Parliament. | Photo: twitter.com/FranceInsoumise
Published 8 February 2023

The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) reported that at least two million people paraded during this day.

Hundreds of thousands of people continued on Tuesday the third day of strikes and demonstrations against the retirement reform, with which the French government intends to extend the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) reported that at least two million people marched, while the Ministry of the Interior estimated 750,000 participation in the protests against the bill that raises the minimum retirement age, which reached its deadline on Tuesday. second day of debates in the National Assembly.

The massive mobilization is a representation of the convening power of the unions in their rejection of the intention of the administration of President Emmanuel Macron to extend the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years.


The general secretary of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, declared that “it is the street that elects the deputies who are supposed to represent the people. When they pass laws contrary to what the people want, there is a democratic problem”.

In this sense, the trade union central urged to question deputies and senators to reject the project in the French Parliament, which also includes increasing the contribution period and eliminating special pension schemes.

Likewise, he asked the unions and the population to take to the streets with greater force next Saturday and carry out strikes.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/francia- ... -0028.html

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French Unions Plan 5th Day of Protests Against Pension Reform

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People participate in a protest against the government's proposed pension reforms in Paris, France, on Feb. 7, 2023. | Photo: Xinhua/Gao Jing

Published 8 February 2023 (15 hours 47 minutes ago)

The plan was announced on the heels of Tuesday's general mobilization, which brought together an estimated 757,000 people to demand that the government drop its reform plans.


The CGT, France's largest union, is planning a new day of nationwide demonstrations against the government's planned pension reform on Feb. 16.

The announcement came on the heels of Tuesday's general mobilization, which brought together an estimated 757,000 people to demand that the government drop its reform plans.

On Tuesday, striking public sector workers also disrupted the country's transport, electricity and local services.

On Tuesday evening, after nationwide demonstrations, several unions called on "the entire population to demonstrate even more massively on Saturday, Feb. 11, throughout the territory to say no to this reform."

As the country's National Assembly (Parliament) started debating the fiercely contested pension bill on Tuesday, the unions vowed to increase pressure on the deputies.

The National Assembly is expected to complete the first reading of the bill by the self-imposed deadline of Feb. 17 -- one day after the fifth day of general mobilization.

On Jan. 10, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne laid out details of the plan, which would progressively raise the legal retirement age by three months a year from 62 to 64 by 2030, and introduce a guaranteed minimum pension.

Starting in 2027, the plan would also require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Fre ... -0014.html
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Sun Feb 12, 2023 5:21 pm

French continue to protest against pension reform
Xinhua | Updated: 2023-02-12 07:21

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A masked protestor uses a tennis racket to return a projectile amid tear gas during clashes at a demonstration against French government's pension reform plan in Nantes as part of a day of national strike and protests in France, Feb 7, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

PARIS -- The French Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that about 963,000 people across the country protested against the proposed pension reform, up from the 757,000 recorded on Feb 7.

As for the CGT, France's largest union, the number of Saturday's general mobilization topped 2.5 million, against some 2 million on Tuesday.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne laid out details of the plan in January, which would progressively raise the legal retirement age by three months a year from 62 to 64 by 2030, and introduce a guaranteed minimum pension.

Starting in 2027, the plan would also require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

Though certain regions of France have entered winter school holidays, the number of demonstrators rose in many cities.

In Paris alone, the Paris Police Prefecture counted 93,000 people marching in the streets, a record since the beginning of general mobilization against the reform.

At least ten people have been arrested, while a gendarme is injured in the eye, the Paris Police Prefecture added.

Main unions in France also jointly called on workers to "bring France to a halt in all sectors on March 7" if the government and the parliament refuse to hear the population's contestation.

They threatened to organize actions "to highlight the major social injustice of this reform against women" on March 8, the International Women's Day.

Air traffic controllers in Paris' Orly Airport went on an unscheduled strike on Saturday, causing half of the flights at the airport canceled.

The French Directorate General for Civil Aviation noted that it had not received any notice or call for a strike. "Minimum service provisions have not been activated", it said.

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20230 ... ae454.html
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Mon Feb 13, 2023 2:26 pm

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Activist protect themselves from riot police. (Photo: AP/ Al Mayadeen)

French police attack 4th protest over pension reforms
Originally published: Al Mayadeen on February 12, 2023 by News Agencies (more by Al Mayadeen) | (Posted Feb 13, 2023)

As thousands of demonstrators took to the streets for a fourth round of protests against President Emanuel Macron’s planned pension reform, French police attacked them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Nearly a million protestors marched across Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, reported the Interior Ministry. Local authorities estimate that over 2.5 million were on the street. The Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, wrote on Twitter on Friday that 10,000 police officers would be deployed to ensure security during the protests, including 4,500 in Paris.

As angry protesters set cars and trash bins on fire on a central Parisian street, police charged the crowd and dispersed them with tear gas.

The weekend demonstrations drew young people and others opposed to the pension proposals who were unable to attend the previous three days of action, which were all held on weekdays.

“It is out of question to work longer, to create the conditions for decreasing pensions, to create the conditions that would lead to my children’s not finding work, because if seniors work longer, they will block job positions. Everything is phony and bad in this reform,” a delegate representing secondary education teachers said.

Unions have warned that if the government does not meet their demands, they will “put France on hold” in the coming weeks. Strikes and protests were expected across the country, causing disruptions in public transportation, healthcare, and education, among other sectors.

Air traffic controllers at Paris’ Orly Airport went on an unscheduled strike on Saturday, canceling half of the airport’s flights.

Earlier this week, French lawmakers began debating a pension bill that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. President Macron calls the reform “vital” for the long-term viability of the pension system, noting that workers in neighboring countries retire years later.

Raising the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would result in an additional 17.7 billion Euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions, according to Labor Ministry estimates, allowing the system to break even by 2027.


Unions argue that there are other options, such as taxing the super-rich or requiring employers or well-off retirees to contribute more.

Despite polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and Macron’s own popularity dwindling, the French president insisted on keeping a key campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017 and before his reelection in April 2022.

https://mronline.org/2023/02/13/french- ... n-reforms/
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Thu Feb 16, 2023 2:47 pm

‘For the French working class, this pension reform is a gift to capitalism’

To understand more about the movement against pension reform in France, we spoke to Ramon Vila, the secretary of the trade union SUD Santé-Sociaux.

February 14, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch



The French working class is up in arms protesting the pension reform proposed by the neoliberal government headed by Emmanuel Macron. Major trade unions, left-wing parties, youth groups, and others have launched massive protests across the country demanding that the government withdraw the controversial plans that will increase the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64. To understand more about this movement, we spoke to Ramon Vila, the secretary of the trade union SUD Santé-Sociaux. The union actively mobilizes workers in the social and health sectors.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/14/ ... apitalism/

‘Emmanuel Macron wants to shift the burden of the crisis on the working class’

A conversation with Vladimir Nieddu of the People’s Health Movement (PHM) France and the International Commission of La Fédération SUD Santé Sociaux on mobilization against pension reforms in France’s health sector

February 10, 2023 by Muhammed Shabeer
Interview - French Protests

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Massive mobilization against pension reforms in Paris on January 31, 2023. (Photo: via La France Insoumise)

The French working class is up in arms protesting the pension reform proposed by the neoliberal government headed by Emmanuel Macron. Major trade unions, left-wing parties, youth groups, and others have launched massive protests across the country demanding that the government withdraw the controversial plans that will increase the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64. On January 19, around two million people participated in protests and mobilizations held across France. A second day of mobilization was organized on January 31. News outlets reported that as many as 2.8 million people participated in the protests organized in numerous cities. According to trade union estimates, almost three-quarters of workers in refineries owned by TotalEnergies, a major oil company, joined the strike. Similarly, around 55% of employees in the education sector engaged in industrial action, estimated trade unions. The social movements taking part in strikes and other industrial actions have warned that their mobilizations will only intensify if the government does not back down.

Peoples Dispatch (PD) spoke to Vladimir Nieddu of the People’s Health Movement (PHM) France regarding the likely impacts of the proposed pension reforms on the French working class and the public health sector. Nieddu is also a member of the International Commission of La Fédération SUD Santé Sociaux.

Peoples Dispatch (PD): What are the main proposals of Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform? In your opinion, what is the logic of the government in implementing these reforms?

Vladimir Nieddu (VN): On January 23, the Council of Ministers of the French government adopted the proposal of a pension reform whose main aim is to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. Macron is ready to discuss other provisions of the reform, but not that one. In order to make people accept this provision, currently rejected by two-thirds of the population and 93% of employees, he continues to highlight what can be seen as the better aspects of the reform. But not even these so-called more favorable measures withstand a detailed analysis: be it the minimum pension increase to 85% of the net interprofessional minimum wage (SMIC) or 1,200 euros gross, early retirement for protracted careers, or more consideration of the arduousness of working conditions.

The objective of raising the minimum pension to 85% of the SMIC has already been set out in the law for 20 years and is still not applied. Early retirement was defined in a more favorable way in the previous law, and it was Macron himself who removed the criteria for defining work-related hardship that existed before. Macron had already been forced to withdraw a pension reform in 2019, following an exceptional mobilization of employees, the population, and part of the trade union movement, including the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU), SOLIDAIRES, and Force Ouvrière (FO).

On April 25, 2019, Macron said: “Until we have solved the problem of unemployment in our country, frankly, it would be quite hypocritical to increase the retirement age. Today, if you are poorly qualified, if you live in a region facing employment or industrial difficulties, when you are in difficulty yourself, when you have a fragmented career, good luck already to reach 62 years. This is the reality of our country.” Now, Macron is saying the opposite of what he said then. Faced with this paradoxical or contradictory injunction, it is clear that the logic of this reform must be sought elsewhere.

PD: What were the reactions of the population, especially the working class, to the proposed reforms? In your opinion, to what extent are the reforms detrimental to workers’ rights?

VN: The population and workers have understood that Macron wants to shift the responsibility for shouldering possible future deficits only on the working class, and not on capital, because this year the pension funds are in surplus and have considerable reserves. They understand that he wants to lower the level of their future pensions, while billionaires have shamelessly enriched themselves in recent years, and that he wants to promote the extension of supplementary pensions schemes in a context where only those with high salaries could afford them.

Especially, the people understand that Macron wants to pursue an ultraliberal European policy of deficit reduction in the name of an illegitimate debt, which is not the workers’ debt. During the COVID-19 crisis, Macron’s motto was to say that he would tackle the crisis, “whatever it takes.” Today, the workers see that it is on their shoulders alone that the weight of the crisis rests; they see clearly the lies of the government and Macron’s reneging on the promises made in 2019 not to extend the retirement age.

I do not remember seeing such a popular reaction since 1968, even before the opening of the debates in parliament, nor to have a government’s word so quickly debased. The debate on the open-ended strike has been conducted publicly on television channels, radios, and at general assemblies—for example at the SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français), the national railway company. In the energy sector, the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) is threatening to cut off electricity to billionaires and make it free to hospitals and nurseries. The workers in refineries, ports, and docks have announced a plan to ramp up mobilization, and a multitude of local or sectoral actions have already taken place prior to the demonstrations and the interprofessional general strike that took place on January 31.

PD: What impact will the reforms have on the health sector, which is already in distress due to austerity, inflation, and understaffing?

VN: The impact of these reforms in the health and social care sector will be considerable. This sector—with its 2.3 million workers, or nearly 10% of the active population—is composed more than 80% by women, who will be the most impacted by this reform. On January 23, Minister-Delegate Franck Riester admitted in the Senate: “Women are slightly penalized by the postponement of the legal age. […] We never said that everyone would walk out a winner.”

Nurses, who could earlier retire at 55 years of age, were already penalized in September 2010 when their retirement was increased to 60 years. With the new reform, they would be penalized again, as their retirement age would shift ahead by another four years, so it would come to 64 years. From this example you can see that they are penalized much more significantly than the part of the population that would see their career extended by two years. In 2010, caregivers in the public sector saw their retirement age increase from 55 to 57 years, and, if we don’t win now, they would retire at 59 in the best of cases. These two categories of workers alone account for more than 60% of the employees of public hospitals. And for all workers in the private health and social sectors, retirement will be at 64 years, without any consideration for factors like night work, shift work, weekend work…

PD: As a trade unionist and member of PHM France, what demands do you have to help people face the cost of living crisis and the hospital crisis?

VN: PHM France has no distinct demands on its own, because it is a space for articulating debates and popular struggles. We act within a broad coalition called “Our health in danger,” which supports and shares the demands of the inter-union initiative. There, we find the CGT and SUD Santé Sociaux allied with many workers’ collectives and local committees for the defense of health. It is these that demand the following: an immediate salary increase of 300 euro (USD 327.12), the immediate hiring of 200,000 caregivers, an end to hospital bed closures, and closures of local hospitals and maternity wards.

PHM also supports the action of social and welfare workers, who protested in Paris on February 2, who are demanding equal pay with the public sector, and who have been defending their national collective agreement which has been under threat of disappearing since 2005. They are organized in local union and non-union committees, grouped together in a national coordination, in which SUD Santé Social Federation and many CGT trade unions are participating, and which will be meeting in Lille very soon.

PHM France also supports, along with 200 organizations that will demonstrate in Lure on May 14, the struggle for the defense and improvement of public services. We are calling for a social security system that reimburses 100% of all medical costs and treatments and abolishes all medical deductibles that penalize patients.

Finally, I personally defend the existence of a social security system without borders and without barriers, which I believe should be a claim of all the peoples of the world. As COVID-19 has once again demonstrated, viruses have no borders.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/10/ ... ing-class/
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Wed Mar 08, 2023 2:43 pm

General strike rejects pension reform in France

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In education, the inter-union is leading protests in which it called to "completely close schools, colleges, high schools and services" this Tuesday. | Photo: CGT
Published 7 March 2023

Polls have shown for weeks that the majority of voters reject the reform, which by 2030 would raise the retirement age by two years, to 64.

Led by the rail transport unions, many other sectors are involved in the strike movement this Tuesday in France, against the pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron, which has been pending in the Senate since last week.

On the roads, some unions have asked carriers to "stop" to slow down logistics circuits.

In the air, one in five flights will be canceled at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, and 30 percent of flights will be canceled at the airports of Nice, Beauvais, Orly, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Montpellier. and Toulouse.


There are also protest actions in the energy sector, in particular reductions in electricity production. On the oil side, the General Central of Workers called for a strike of renewables in the refineries.

The blockade of fuel shipments does not create a shortage at service stations for the moment, but an extension could cause it, even if the tanker trucks are ready.

In education, the inter-union is leading protests in which it called for "to completely close schools, colleges, high schools and services" this Tuesday and the Snuipp-FSU, the main primary school union, announced that more than 60 percent of teachers primary school will be on strike.

The CGT of Garbage Collectors has also joined a strike that could be renewable as of this Tuesday. The strike also risks disrupting other sectors, where unions have made calls. The CGT Transportes, for example, called on platform distributors such as Uber Eats or Deliveroo to stop their work on Tuesday.


For the leader of La France Insoumisa (LFI, the main opposition party, on the left) Jean-Luc Mélenchon, "the battle begins today."

According to LFI, this first day to protest against the pension reform represents "an immense confrontation between an entire people and one person: the President of the Republic".

Faced with "the situation of deadlock", Jean-Luc Mélenchon considers that Emmanuel Macron must therefore "find a way out from above", evoking "a dissolution" of the National Assembly or a referendum.


"We are in an event in the history of our country with a social mobilization like we have not seen in 30 or 40 years," said Mélenchon, insisting that "it is a fight of general interest for everyone."

Opinion polls have shown for weeks that the majority of voters reject the reform, which by 2030 would raise the retirement age by two years, to 64, among other measures.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/francia- ... -0004.html

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Protesting pension reforms, French working class shuts down the country

The controversial pension reform bill calling for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 is currently being discussed in the French Senate but was passed over to the Senate before it could be voted on because of disagreements about raising the retirement age

March 07, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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(Photo: via CGT)

On Tuesday, March 7, the French workers took to the streets across the country denouncing the government’s controversial new pension reforms. Trade unions also participated in a general strike on Tuesday as part of their campaign for a ‘total shutdown’ of the country, while the French Senate is deliberating on the pension reforms bill. The protestors organized massive demonstrations in 200 cities and towns across the country, as well as picketed workplaces and blocked roundabouts in major city centers, as was done at the time of the yellow vest protests. Student-youth groups also organized blockades in 39 universities across France. The strikes have affected transport, schools, the energy sector, industries, municipal services, and government offices, among others.

The mobilization on Tuesday was the seventh major day of action organized against the pension reforms. Protests began on January 19 this year—organized by the coordination of trade unions, leftist parties, and student-youth groups—and millions of people across France have already taken part so far, demanding that the reforms be rolled back. Specifically, protesters have demanded an increase in wages and pensions, and that the retirement age be brought down to 60.

According to L’Humanite, 65% of people in the country support the strikes and protests against the pension reforms proposed by Emmanuel Macron’s government, which call for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 and also stipulate a mandatory 43 years of service before one is entitled to a full pension or benefits.

The pension reforms bill underwent two weeks of debate in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, but was passed over to the Senate before it could be voted on because of disagreements about raising the retirement age. While trade unions and the left-wing coalition New Ecological and Social People’s Union (NUPES) have continued their opposition to the bill in the streets and in parliament, the Macron-led neo-liberal government expects to pass the bill with the support of legislators from center-right parties.

On Tuesday, leader of the French Communist Party (PCF) Fabien Roussel said: “Today, […] the coordination of the unions calls for France to ‘stop’ against the unfair pension reform that the government wants to impose. The working world hasn’t been this united in a struggle for decades. We can win and push back the government.”

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/03/07/ ... e-country/

Women’s rights at the heart of the fight over pensions in France

This year’s International Working Women’s Day in France holds special significance because of a nation-wide call by trade unions and people’s movements to bring the country to a standstill from March 7

March 07, 2023 by Peoples Health Dispatch

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Feminist actions in France on March 8, 2022. (Photo: Solidaires/SUD)

For the first time in the history of France, trade unions have called for a two-day general strike that will extend to March 8, International Working Women’s Day. The general mobilization will begin on Tuesday, March 7, and it is expected to cause widespread protests all over the country. This is the first time since May 1968 that trade unions have issued a joint call for a general strike that will last for more than 24 hours.

While actions for March 8 have grown in strength over the past years, this year’s mobilizations are expected to be particularly powerful. For the first time, it is social movements as a whole, and not the feminist movement alone, that is calling for the strike on International Working Women’s Day. This is an essential element in the reinforcement of the fight for equal social rights, and a spark of hope for the future.

In recent weeks, there has been an unprecedented proliferation of initiatives and assemblies for the strike of March 7-8, as well as meetings to seek to connect them to other ongoing struggles.

Links between women workers’ and health rights
This year, International Working Women’s Day actions in France will be a tribute to all the workers who will be the first to experience the effects of Macron’s pension reform, many of whom are women, whose jobs are invisible, careers cut short, and salaries inadequate.

A joint press release by eight French trade union confederations and the five students’ associations is calling for action on the inequalities that women are still experiencing in the workplace. “Even in 2023, women’s salaries remain on average 25% lower than men’s,” warn the associations in their release.

The income gap between women and men persists after retirement as well, according to the trade unions and student’s associations. “Twice as many women work until 67 years of age, the maximum retirement age, but they receive pensions which are 40% lower than men. Also, 40% of women are forced to retire early and thus receive only partial pension,” they said.

Read also: ‘Emmanuel Macron wants to shift the burden of the crisis on the working class’
Trade unions and peoples’ movements are calling for a recognition of the link between women’s, workers’, and health rights on March 8. In a joint press release by trade union confederations including Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques (SUD), the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the National Coordination of Committees for the Defense of Hospitals and Maternity Hospitals, and collectives like Printemps de la Psychiatrie, the movements are calling for unity on March 7 and 8 against the pension reform.

“On March 7 and 8, let us stand united to block the unacceptable pension reform and the policies that are destroying our health and social security systems,” said the associations in their press release.

The pension reform is intrinsically linked to the health system, as social protection cannot be separated from work and employment. Raising the legal retirement age would also lead to an explosion of sick leave, as well as to an increase of payments for social benefits.

On the occasion of March 8, the national collective Our Health in Danger and 25 other organizations, unions, feminist associations, and parties are issuing early calls for actions in the week of April 7, World Health Day.

“Let’s mobilize together to counter harmful policies and carry out our demands for access to health care and social support for all, all over the country, and without financial, geographical, cultural, digital, social, gender, origin or administrative discrimination,” said the collectives in the call.

Whole of society approach to women’s rights
Women’s demands cannot be reduced to the question of wages and retirement alone. A national collective of 31 feminist and social associations, including the People’s Health Movement France, reminds all those who will be joining the protests that: “March 8 is neither Mother’s Day nor Women’s Day—it is the international day of struggle for women’s rights.”

The collective’s broad perception of women’s rights is supported by a number of local associations and 11 left-wing parties, all of which recognize the essential role that women play in society. This is why this year’s March 8 actions will be an occasion to demand the end of social and economic inequalities and the violence which results from them. More simply put, they will be an occasion to remind everyone that, without women, the world stops.

At this point, it is impossible to predict for how long the strike wave in France will continue, and whether it will be victorious. As we approach March 8, however, one thing is certain: equality of men and women is a necessary precondition for any social victory, which cannot be achieved without the involvement of this half of the sky.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/03/07/ ... in-france/

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Pensions strike snarls France

By JONATHAN POWELL in London | China Daily | Updated: 2023-03-08 09:14

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Bus drivers burn flares behind a banner reading in French "on March 7, let's block everything until withdrawal" on a bridge in Paris on Monday. THOMAS SAMSON/AFP

Fuel deliveries, public transport hit as unions take to the streets

Union officials said protesters aim to "bring France to a standstill" in a sixth wave of strikes over the government's plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64 which began early on Tuesday.

More than 1 million people hit the streets in more than 260 locations nationwide, according to a source cited by Agence France-Presse.

Industrial action has hit a range of sectors, including schools, airports, energy plants and refineries. Unions warned that there would be "rolling strikes" on public transport that could disable parts of the country for weeks, which is a step up from the daylong strikes seen since January.

"I call on all the country's employees, citizens and retirees who are against the pensions reform to come out and protest en masse," the head of the CFDT union Laurent Berger told France Inter radio station on Monday.

Ministers had warned that the action would have a major impact on public transport services, with almost all scheduled intercity services canceled.

The National SNCF rail network advised commuters that just one in five of its high-speed trains would be operating, while city metro line operators alerted passengers that suburban services would be severely affected.

France's aviation authority DGAC said about one-third of all scheduled flights would be canceled nationwide.

BBC correspondents reported that fuel deliveries had been blocked from all French refineries early on Tuesday. "The strike has begun everywhere," said Eric Sellini of the CGT general union.

Emmanuel Lepine, secretary-general of the CGT, said last week that the aim of blocking fuel deliveries was to "bring the French economy to its knees".

Bringing to a 'standstill'

Workers have vowed to "bring the country to a standstill" over the proposed changes, reported AFP. "We are going into a higher gear," CGT chief Philippe Martinez told the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche. "The mobilizations will continue and grow until the government hears what workers are saying."

President Emmanuel Macron first proposed the plan to raise the retirement age when he was elected in 2017, insisting it was an important step in securing the nation's pension system.

"If we want to keep this system going, we need to work longer," Macron said last month. Unions contested this, saying small increases in contributions would be enough to maintain it.

Government efforts to introduce changes in parliament were delayed in 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic, but returned this year.

Under Macron's proposals, the number of years of contributions needed for a full pension will rise faster than previously planned and will be set at 43 years from 2027.

The pension reform bill is now being debated in parliament, and the alliance seeks to push it through without activating a controversial clause that would bypass a parliamentary vote but risk fueling more protests.

French citizens back strikes over the issue, with a poll by Elabe survey group showing 56 percent support for rolling strikes and 59 percent backing the call "to bring the country to a standstill".

Previous polls have revealed how deeply unpopular the proposed reforms are in general, showing up to 80 percent of the population is opposed to pushing the retirement age back to 64.

Parties on both the left and right have vowed to block the pension reforms, and Macron's centrist alliance needs the support of lawmakers from the conservative Republicans party to make up a majority that would allow the reform to be pushed through.

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20230 ... b2fd8.html
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Thu Mar 09, 2023 3:31 pm

The French Senate Increases the Retirement Age to 64 Years

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Massive demonstration against the pension reform, France, March, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @TV5MONDEINFO

Published 9 March 2023

President Macron will face massive protests organized by all the French unions, which have reached unprecedented levels of collective coordination and action.

A little after Wednesday night, the French Senate approved raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 thanks to votes from right-wing parties.

Article 7 of the pension reform proposed by President Emmanuel Macron was approved with 201 votes in favor, 115 votes against, and 29 abstentions. This happened after a debate that lasted more than 15 hours.

During that time, leftist lawmakers filed hundreds of amendments to prevent the approval of the increase in the minimum retirement age. However, the benches of the right-wing parties resorted to an exceptional device that allowed them to bypass those amendments.

Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt said that he was satisfied with the result. However, the approval of this aspect of the pension reform will still have to be reconciled between the two parliamentary chambers.

Besides praising the "responsible" behavior of the Senate, he expressed his wish that all the articles of the Macron reform can be discussed and approved until Sunday, which is the deadline for their processing in the Senate.


The tweet reads, "Blockade of the train tracks at Marseille's Gare Saint-Charles as part of the third day of the general strike against the pension reform."

Beyond the parliamentary process, which could end next week, Macron will face massive protests organized by all unions, which have reached unprecedented levels of collective coordination and action.

The response of the citizens to the political class did not wait. On Thursday, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) called to continue the protests against the pension reform bill.

"This will be a day of energy sobriety," the largest French union announced, warning that power cuts would take place even at the Stade de France and the Olympic village grounds.

"Fuel shipments and various ports also remain blocked in all parts of France," The Figaro newspaper reported, adding that university students and high school students will held a large demonstration in Paris.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/The ... -0004.html
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Fri Mar 17, 2023 2:06 pm

Protests against pension reform in France
March 17, 8:20 am

Image

Yesterday's protests against raising the retirement age in France.
Macron's gang decided not to keep the appearance of propriety and is pushing for an increase in the retirement age, even bypassing the parliament, which refuses to hold a vote that suits Macron. In response, he threatens to dissolve parliament and decides to raise the retirement age in a purely voluntaristic way, which caused mass protests throughout the country, including strikes, clashes with police and blocking infrastructure.

(Multiple videos at link.)

France will one day be a free country.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8228215.html

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*************

Macron Ignites the French Fury by Imposing His Pension Reform

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People light garbage during protests in Paris, March 16, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @ayecode1

Published 17 March 2023

Outraged by the French president's decision, citizens attempted to attack offices of pro-government politicians and public institutions in Paris, Rennes, Albi, and Marseille.


On Thursday, thousands of citizens took to the streets of Paris, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Lyon and other French cities to protest against the loss of their rights caused by the pension system reform.

Previously, President Emmanuel Macron activated article 49.3 of the Constitution to be able to adopt his bill by decree and without waiting for support from the National Assembly. His decision outraged the French who branded his administration a "dictatorship."

In response, he took the police to the streets, unleashing a repression that further inflamed the spirits among the population. Interior Minister Gerakd Darmanin confirmed the arrest of 310 people, 258 of whom were protesting in the capital city.

On Friday, this official also admitted that citizens attempted to attack offices of pro-government politicians and public institutions in Paris, Rennes, Albi, and Marseille.


In Paris, images of discontent included makeshift barricades and fires with tons of garbage accumulated due to the strike of collection workers, who have been protesting against the pension reform for about 10 days.

On Friday, opposition parties are expected to present at least two no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and her cabinet. If any of these motions manages to be approved in the Assembly, she would be dismissed and a political crisis would be generated, which could lead to an early call for legislative elections.

The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the other unions remain determined to multiply the protests over the weekend. They called for a ninth national strike on March 24.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Mac ... -0002.html

**********

French government bypasses parliamentary vote and passes unpopular pension reform

Left-wing opposition parties and trade unions have slammed the reform as anti-worker and illegitimate and called to continue protests

March 16, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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MPs from the left-wing NUPES coalition protesting against Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in French parliament. Photo: Liberation.fr

On March 16, the French government invoked the emergency provision Article 49.3 of the Constitution in the parliament and passed a controversial pension reform, bypassing the parliamentary vote. The decision announced by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to avoid voting on the pension reforms envisaged in the ‘law of amending financing of Social Security for 2023’, provoked ire from progressive legislators of the New Ecological and Social People’s Union (NUPES) coalition as well as large sections of civil society. Spontaneous protests have already broken out across the country condemning the forced approval of the bill.

The pension reform proposed by the French government on January 10 of this year, calls for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 and also stipulates a mandatory 43 years of service before one is entitled to a full pension or benefits.

While the parliamentary bloc that supports the pension reform has a clear majority in the Senate, it would seem that the government was not confident about its support in the lower house of parliament, which may explain why it bypassed the normal legislative process. As per constitutional provisions, the bill will be considered validated, unless the opposition files and passes a non confidence motion against the government in the parliament within 24 hours (by Friday evening) after invoking Article 49.3.

The move comes amid a wave of mass mobilizations against the pension reform which has been deemed by major trade unions and society as anti-worker. A survey done by L’Humanite, found that 65% of people in the country support the strikes and protests against the pension reforms proposed by Emmanuel Macron’s government.

France’s General Confederation of Labor (CGT), estimated that around 3.5 million people have participated in demonstrations in 270 cities and towns across the country, in addition to workplace pickets. Students have also organized blockades in 39 universities across France. The strikes have affected transport, schools, the energy sector, industries, municipal services, and government offices, among others.

On March 7 and 8, the coordination of the trade unions organized a two day national strike against the reforms, and on March 15, alone, more than 1.5 million people demonstrated across the country.

The CGT figures also suggest that 70% of the population and 94% of the workers are against the pension reforms.

On Thursday evening, while addressing the media, French Communist Party (PCF) leader Fabien Roussel MP stated that “this reform is illegitimate and the prime minister, by announcing the 49-3, humiliates the parliament. She is not worthy of the Republic. The mobilization must go on!”

NUPES leader Jean-Luc Melenchon accused that “the pension reforms have no parliamentary legitimacy. It is a spectacular failure and a collapse of the presidential minority. United unions call for continued action. That is what we are going to work on.”

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/03/16/ ... on-reform/

**********

FRANCE AND THE LAUGHABLE PARADOX OF RUSSIAN ENERGY DEPENDENCE
Mar 16, 2023 , 1:26 p.m.

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Nearly 50% of uranium exports to France are made through Rosatom, a Moscow-based Russian state nuclear power corporation (Photo: Reuters)

Since the war in Ukraine began, European countries have done everything possible to end their energy dependence on Russia, which represents a great challenge since about 90% of the energy comes from the Eurasian country.

In this desperate search for alternatives to Russian fuel, the French government embarked on a project to build half a dozen nuclear reactors that must come into service between 2037 and 2050. With this, it would supposedly cease to be subject to the Slavic giant and, at the same time, time, would contribute to the ecological transition.

However, I would trade one dependency for another since almost 50% of uranium exports to France are made through Rosatom, a Moscow-based Russian state nuclear power corporation, which was also founded by President Vladimir Putin.

It should be noted that for this reason France more than once blocked "sanctions" against Russia's nuclear sector. Rosatom is one of the largest in the industry of this type of energy for civil purposes in the world and controls almost all the natural uranium on a global scale.

Emmanuel Macron's government makes a fool of itself trying to "free itself" from Russia's energy dependence through uranium from this country. The never ending joke.

https://misionverdad.com/francia-y-la-r ... etica-rusa

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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Sat Mar 18, 2023 2:47 pm

French govt faces no-confidence vote over forced pension reform
Xinhua | Updated: 2023-03-18 11:43

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French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivers a speech at the National Assembly in Paris, France, March 16, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

PARIS -- Two no-confidence motions had been filed by Friday afternoon against the French government led by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who forced passage of the controversial pension reform bill without a vote in the National Assembly.

The first multiparty motion was filed by the centrist opposition group LIOT. It was co-signed by 91 opposition deputies from different parties.

The second motion was tabled by the far-right National Rally party, which has 88 deputies in the National Assembly. The deputies argue that the pension overhaul is "unfair and unnecessary."

Borne on Thursday triggered an article of the country's Constitution that allows the government to force passage of the controversial pension reform bill without a vote in the National Assembly.

According to Paragraph 3 of Article 49 of the French Constitution, the prime minister may, after consulting with the Council of Ministers, impose the adoption of a bill by the National Assembly without a vote. The only way for the National Assembly to veto this is to pass a no-confidence motion against the government.

Should any of the two no-confidence motions be endorsed by an absolute majority -- 289 votes in favor -- Borne would have to submit to French President Emmanuel Macron the resignation of her government.

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20230 ... b5395.html

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Paris Suffers From Piling Up Of Over 10 000 Tons Of Garbage

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On Thursday, the French government passed a law on raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without holding a final vote in parliament. Mar. 17, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@ricardobrown

Published 17 March 2023 (11 hours 59 minutes ago)

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has rejected the government's request to force garbage collectors and street cleaners back to work.

The Paris mayor's office reported Friday that more than 10 000 tons of garbage have piled up in the streets of Paris due to a strike by street cleaners protesting against the government's pension reform.

The cleaners began the strike on March 7. Meanwhile, authorities have been warning that the growing volumes of piled-up garbage could increase health risks for residents and be conducive to the spread of various diseases.

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has rejected the government's request to resort to administrative measures to force garbage collectors and street cleaners to return to work.

According to the mayor, the workers have the right to protest and the only acceptable course of action would be to initiate a public dialogue rather than forcing the striking workers to resume work.


Ten of the city's 20 districts are served by private companies, so half of the districts are being affected by the strike of municipal garbage collectors.

On Thursday, the French government passed a law on raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without holding a final vote in parliament. During the day, protesters in Paris used garbage as a barricade in clashes with security forces and set fire to garbage containers.

The move was made under Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the government to pass laws without a parliamentary vote.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Par ... -0019.html

******

Emmanuel Macron: the weakling autocrat brought to power by American meddling

Yesterday’s edition of ‘Highlights’ on Press TV, Iran focused on the ongoing political and street fighting in France over President Emmanuel Macron’s use of article 49.3 in the French constitution to pass a highly contested law reforming the pension age without putting it to a vote in the lower house of the legislature.



My fellow panelist, Moustafa Praori, an academic and political commentator in Paris, provided a succinct explanation of how the presidential system functions in France and why, at the end of the day, most likely everyone will go back to their jobs without there being any big changes in political life. He went on to opine what a pity it was that French voters ignored alternative candidates to Macron on the Left in the last election. Had they chosen candidate Jean-Luc Mélanchon instead of Macron, they would have been spared the present conflict.

I am delighted that our host allowed me to put the issue of why and how Macron came to power in the broader context that I first set out four years ago: namely that over the past decade or more massive American meddling in the French presidential campaigns has delivered to power in Paris the CIA’s choice for the job by eliminating from the races the most capable candidates.

I refer readers to an essay entitled “Emmanuel Macron’s Speech to the Joint Session of Congress, 25 April 2018” in my collection A Belgian Perspective on International Affairs (2019). The concluding section of that lengthy essay, dealing with “How Macron came to power: US meddling in French politics,” takes the story back to the French presidential race of 2012, when the United States intelligence agencies effectively knocked out of the race the leading candidate of France’s Socialist Party, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was succeeded as standard-bearer by the nonentity, the utter nincompoop François Hollande. As we know Hollande won the presidency and oversaw the unrelenting decline of France as a European and world power. His time in office was a time of economic stagnation and a weak France following timidly in the footsteps of the more dynamic Angela Merkel.

From the perspective of today’s number one international issue, the war in Ukraine and how the Minsk Accords were betrayed precisely by its signatories Merkel and Hollande, it bears mention that the ‘dynamic’ Merkel was herself subject to personal control from Washington. There was the possibility of blackmailing her over indiscretions in her personal telephone conversations that the CIA was listening to, and in particular over her sexual orientation, about which there was titillating speculation at the time.

How Strauss-Kahn was removed, we all know. He was arrested in a New York hotel on charges of attempted rape of a chamber maid. There can be little doubt that this was a well-prepared case of politically-motivated entrapment. The lurid details of this escapade appeared immediately in the American and world media, together with pitiful images of Strauss-Kahn, in handcuffs, being arraigned in a New York court. This absolutely finished his political career.

And why was Strauss-Kahn removed? The reasons were in the public domain at the time. In his exercise of his then position as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund operating from offices in Washington, D.C., Strauss-Kahn was known for his anti-American views and in particular for his advocacy of dethroning the US dollar as the global reserve currency in favor of an abstraction not tied to one country, the Special Drawing Rights. I add, parenthetically, that at present, the question of staving off de-dollarization by removing Strauss-Kahn from international politics in 2011-2012 looks quaint given the way Washington has itself done more than anyone could ever imagine to dethrone the dollar by its own unprecedented action, freezing Russia’s state reserves on deposit in America last spring within the context of Ukraine war related sanctions.

Now, to return to Mr. Macron. His election was made possible when US intelligence agencies intervened in the French presidential race of 2016-2017. At the time, the Republicans, the centrist party of Nicolas Sarcozy, on 20 November 2016 had voted in a primary election to put forward as its candidate François Fillon, Sarkozy’s prime minister from 2007-2012. Fillon was experienced, competent and a self-declared economic reformer. In that sense, he was a strong candidate to go up against the extreme Right candidate Marine Le Pen, a Putin sympathizer and opponent of NATO whom Washington abhorred.

Unfortunately for him, Fillon was also not liked across the Atlantic, where he was known as a ‘friend’ of Vladimir Putin. On the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2015, Fillon had appeared on television advocating accommodation with Russia and had publicly opposed the U.S. sanctions on Russia that followed from the Magnitsky Act of 2012. His election, like the election of the leading candidate from the Right, Marine Le Pen, would create a transatlantic duo working against the existing strategic direction of U.S. policy, which was to bait the Russian bear.

Thus, it came as no surprise to those of us with an understanding of the ways and means of U.S. intelligence operatives that Fillon’s candidacy was derailed just weeks before the first round of presidential elections when he was charged with embezzlement amidst allegations that he had put his wife on the public payroll for little or no work.

With Fillon publicly discredited, the anti-Le Pen torch passed to the dark horse candidate Emmanuel Macron, who was running on an anti-corruption platform that was in its own way ‘populist,’ though safely friendly to the existing World Order. The rest, as they say, is history.

Finally, I note that the issues by which the US agencies might later blackmail Macron to keep him in line once to took power are discussed at length in my aforementioned article.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2023/03/18/ ... -meddling/
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Tue Mar 21, 2023 1:33 pm

‘Macron resign!’ French protests intensify over attempt to force retirement age hike
March 19, 2023 Jessica Corbett

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Opponents of raising the French retirement age by two years chant at Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, on March 17, 2023.

March 17 — Protests in Paris and across France have ramped up since President Emmanuel Macron’s government on Thursday used a controversial constitutional measure to force through a pension reform plan without a National Assembly vote.

Fears that the Senate-approved measure — which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 — did not have enough support to pass the lower house of Parliament led to a Council of Ministers meeting, during which Macron reportedly said that “my political interest would have been to submit to a vote… But I consider that the financial, economic risks are too great at this stage.”

After the meeting, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne announced the decision to go with the “nuclear option,” invoking Article 49.3 of the French Constitution—a calculated risk considering the potential for a resulting motion of no-confidence.

Members of Parliament opposed to the overhaul filed a pair of no-confidence motions on Friday, and votes are expected on Monday. Although unlikely, given the current makeup of the legislature, passing such a motion would not only reject the looming pension law but also oust Macron’s prime minister and Cabinet, and likely lead to early elections in France.

As Deutsche Welle reported:

“The vote on this motion will allow us to get out on top of a deep political crisis,” said the head of the so-called LIOT group Bertrand Pancher, whose motion was co-signed by members of the broad left-wing NUPES coalition.

The far-right National Rally (RN) filed a second motion, but that was expected to get less backing. RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette however, said her party would vote for “all” no-confidence motions filed. “What counts is scuppering this unfair reform bill,” she said.

Leaders of the Les Republicains (LR) are not sponsoring any such motions. Reuters explained that individuals in the conservative party “have said they could break ranks, but the no-confidence bill would require all of the other opposition lawmakers and half of LR’s 61 lawmakers to go through, which is a tall order.”

Still, Green MP Julien Bayou said, “it’s maybe the first time that a motion of no-confidence may overthrow the government.”

Meanwhile, protests against the pension proposal—which have been happening throughout the year—continue in the streets, with some drawing comparisons to France’s “Yellow Vests” movement sparked by fuel prices and economic conditions in 2018.


Not long after Borne’s Article 49.3 announcement on Thursday, “protesters began to converge on the sprawling Place de la Concorde in central Paris, a mere bridge away from the heavily guarded National Assembly,” according to France 24.

As the news outlet detailed:

There were the usual suspects, like leftist firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, thundering against a reform he said had “no legitimacy—neither in Parliament, nor in the street.” Unionists were also out in strength, hailing a moral victory even as they denounced Macron‘s “violation of democracy.”

Many more were ordinary protesters who had flocked to the Concorde after class or work. One brandished a giant fork made of cardboard as the crowd chanted “Macron démission” (Macron resign). Another spray-painted an ominous message on a metal barrier—”The shadow of the guillotine is nearing”—in the exact spot where Louis XVI was executed 230 years ago.

Police used tear gas to disperse the Concorde crowd. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told RTL radio 310 people were arrested nationwide—258 of them in Paris. He said, “The opposition is legitimate, the protests are legitimate, but wreaking havoc is not.”

Anna Neiva Cardante is a 23-year-old student whose parents, a bricklayer and a cleaner, “are among those who stand to lose most.”

“A vote in the National Assembly was the government’s only chance of securing a measure of legitimacy for its reform,” Neiva Cardante told France 24 as police cleared the crowd Thursday. “Now it has a full-blown crisis on its hands.”

“This reform is outrageous,” she added, “punishing women and the working class, and denying the hardship of those who have the toughest jobs.”

Across the French capital early Friday, “traffic, garbage collection, and university campuses in the city were disrupted, as unions threatened open-ended strikes,” DW noted. “Elsewhere in the country, striking sanitation workers blocked a waste collection plant that is home to Europe’s largest incinerator to underline their determination.”


“Article 49.3 constitutes a triple defeat for the executive: popular, political, and moral,” declared Laurent Escure, secretary general of the labor union UNSA. “It opens up a new stage for the protests.”

The French newspaper Le Mondereported that “the leaders of France’s eight main labor unions called for ‘local union rallies’ on the weekend of March 18 and 19 and for a ‘new big day of strikes and demonstrations’ on Thursday, March 23.”
Philippe Martinez of the CGT union asserted that “this forced passage with the use of Article 49.3 must be met with a response in line with this show of contempt toward the people.”

Fellow CGT representative Régis Vieceli vowed that “we are not going to stop,” tellingThe Associated Press that flooding the streets and refusing to work is “the only way that we will get them to back down.”
Source: Common Dreams

https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2023/ ... -age-hike/

******

French Parliament Rejects No-Confidence Vote Against Government

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French President Emmanuel Macron has 15 days to enact the law. Mar. 20, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@TownCountryProp

Published 20 March 2023

Two motions of censure against the French government fell short of the 287 votes needed to reach an absolute majority.


The French National Assembly on Monday rejected a motion submitted by the centrist opposition group LIOT, as well as another submitted by the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party.

The first motion, by the LIOT coalition, was rejected as it obtained 278 votes among deputies, just nine votes short of the 287 needed to reach an absolute majority.

The second motion of censure against the government of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, presented by the RN party, obtained 94 votes in favor.

Composed of 577 seats, with four vacancies at present, the French National Assembly needs 287 votes to reach a majority.


The transpartisan motion of censure is REJECTED by the National Assembly with 278 votes in favor (out of 287 necessary). The government remains in place and the pension reform is definitively adopted.

Borne activated on Thursday article number 49.3 of the French Constitution, which allows the Government to force the approval of the controversial pension reform bill without a vote in Parliament.

Thus, with the rejection by the National Assembly of the two motions of censure, the pension reform bill is adopted by the Parliament. French President Emmanuel Macron has 15 days to enact the law.

Large strikes and protests have hit the national territory against the pension reform plan, according to which the legal retirement age would be progressively raised three months a year, from 62 to 64 years between now and 2030.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Fre ... -0018.html
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Re: France

Post by blindpig » Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:09 pm

French mobilize again against pension reform

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The day of demonstrations would be the ninth in just over two months against the reform and the first after its adoption by decree defended by President Macron. | Photo: @CfdtBerger
Published 23 March 2023

Unions have been fighting since January against the delay of the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030,

France will live this Thursday a new day of protests called by the country's main unions against the pension reform promoted by President Emmanuel Macron.

The day of demonstrations would be the ninth in just over two months against the reform and the first after its adoption by decree defended by President Macron.

The unions have remained in the fight since January against the delay of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years to 2030 and the advancement to 2027 of the requirement to contribute 43 years to collect a full pension.


The unions have indicated that the mobilization this Thursday is crucial for their ability to maintain the protests and strikes pending the approval of the Constitutional Council.

According to representatives of the main French unions, the demonstrations against the reform of the pension system tend to become more radical and fragmented.

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The unions announced around 50 percent strikers in schools, which could also be numerous in the energy and transport sectors. In the Paris metro, the FO-RATP central called a "black day".

The leader of the union, CFDT, Laurent Berger, recalled that 94 percent of the workers reject the pension reform, that they do not have a majority in the National Assembly (...) and that the street has been rejecting en masse for more than two months and a half".

French media have reported blockades of oil deposits, ports, highways and universities, among others.

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The French Police announced that it will deploy this Thursday around 12,000 agents throughout the country, of which 5,000 will be in the city of Paris.

Macron's intervention on Wednesday, defending his pension reform and assuming the political price, seems to have warmed the spirits more, at least among those who are still willing to continue the contestation.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/francia- ... -0007.html

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