Second round of strikes of pension battle hit France
Paris, The Gulf Observer: From tiny islands to major cities, demonstrators poured by the thousands into streets of France Tuesday in the latest clash of wills with the government over its plans to push back the retirement age. Labor unions aimed to mobilize more than 1 million protesters in what one veteran left-wing leader described as a “citizens’ insurrection.”
The nationwide strikes and protests are a crucial test both for President Emmanuel Macron’s government and its opponents. The government says it is determined to push through Macron’s election pledge to reform France’s pension system. Labor unions and left-wing legislators fighting in parliament against Macron’s plans were counting on protesters to turn out massively to strengthen their efforts to kill the bill that that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
As large crowds marched in cities and towns, veteran left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon celebrated “a historic day” of protests and predicted defeat for Macron. In Paris, flag-waving, horn-blowing demonstrators gathered in large numbers for an afternoon march through the capital.
“It’s not often that we see such a mass mobilization,” Mélenchon, speaking in the southern city of Marseille. “It’s a form of citizens’ insurrection.”
Strikes also hit schools, with the Education Ministry reporting that around one quarter of teachers stayed off the job — fewer than in the Jan. 19 first round of protests.
French media also reported walkouts in oil refineries. Radio station France Inter played music instead of its usual morning talk shows and apologized to its listeners because employees were striking.
