Barthélémy Philippe, edited by Gauthier Delomez 06:25, January 19, 2023

The leader of the CGT Philippe Martinez has set the goal, like the former communist presidential candidate Fabien Roussel, of a million people in the street this Thursday to demonstrate against the pension reform.

A life-size test for the inter-union and for the leaders of the main unions.

This is the bar to cross on the side of the inter-union: a million people in the street to protest against the pension reform.

This Thursday of mobilization everywhere in France, for which between 550,000 and 750,000 demonstrators are expected, is a test for the unions.

Their influence is declining, they have fewer and fewer members and sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by spontaneous movements born on Facebook.

However, they are still there, and for the first time since 2010 and the previous pension reform, the CGT, the CFDT and all the other trade union centers are calling for demonstrations.

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The leader of the movement for the CGT, Philippe Martinez, set this target of one million demonstrators to impress power, as did the national secretary of the French Communist Party, Fabien Roussel.

Previous mass protests

However, this figure is symbolic, according to political scientist Dominique Andolfatto, a trade union specialist.

"During the major recent demonstrations against the successive reforms of the pension system, in 2019, 2010 or 1995, at the peak of the mobilization, we were around or above a million people. The unions believe that we must do as much this Thursday", he recalls at the microphone of Europe 1.

If Philippe Martinez sets the bar so high, it is because he wants to improve his balance sheet at the CGT before handing over.

It was under his leadership that the union lost its status as number 1, in favor of the CFDT.

Philippe Martinez's successor will be appointed at the end of March at the CGT congress.

Laurent Berger, the boss of the CFDT who plays big

The other man to watch this Thursday is Laurent Berger.

He is also carrying out his last mandate at the head of the CFDT, and he plays big esteem Dominique Andolfatto.

"Suddenly, he changed his role. The reformist, whom we are used to seeing negotiating in the ministries, calls for a massive mobilization in the street", explains the political scientist.

"It's not easy for the CFDT to convert to this strategy of struggle, of the street, which it is no longer used to."

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The unions must also do everything to avoid excesses, which are essential to winning the battle for public opinion.

"There are more than 10,000 police and gendarmes who will be mobilized, including 3,500 in Paris under the authority of the prefect of police", announced Wednesday, January 18, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin.

For the moment, six out of ten French people support the movement.