The eight main unions in France are calling for a convergence of struggles against the pension reform, which notably shifts the retirement age to 64.
January 19 marks the first day of mobilization throughout France.
Thousands of demonstrators are expected in Paris, Marseille or Toulouse.
"I took an RTT to go demonstrate," says Gilles, one of our readers.
Others refuse, believing for their part that “strikes are no longer useful”.
“I'm going to demonstrate for the first time in my life and I'll go as far as it takes!
Like Michel, 60, thousands of French people are preparing to pound the pavement Thursday against the pension reform.
“The “taking into account” of long careers, which consists of its salami in three slices, knocks me out of five additional quarters.
It is hypocritical and brutal,” he adds.
As soon as the measures of the new text were announced by Elisabeth Borne on January 10, such as the shift in the retirement age to 64, the unions launched a call for mobilization and for such an impressive convergence of struggles than that of 2019.
"Borne's words do not pass and make me angry, gets angry Isabelle, teacher in a vocational school.
With this reform, I would have to work for 44 years to be able to leave at full rate at 64.
So yes I will strike.
I am also very worried about the future of my students.
” Nursing assistant, Reine also saw this reform as an injustice: “I have worked in the hospital since I was 20 years old.
It smashes the back, my rest is chopped, I am poorly paid and now my retirement is being postponed.
Of course I'll be on the street.
»
For his first demonstration since "the last round of the presidential election which opposed (Jean-Marie) Le Pen to (Jacques) Chirac", Gilles posed "an RTT".
“Congratulations to the government and our president who do not listen to the population!
“, he laments.
A clear-cut opinion shared by Suzanne, 27, who “undertakes to be in the street on Thursday to protect (her) rights”: “It is anything but democratic, this government is impoverishing part of the population.
“Even without being directly affected by the planned changes because he is already retired, André will also demonstrate “in solidarity with those who will undergo the reform”.
"Strikes are useless"
“Would France be so strong that it could afford to have the lowest retirement age in Europe?
asks Jean-Luc, who does not understand this umpteenth mobilization for a reform that seems essential to him.
And it's not the only one.
Daniel thinks that the abolition of special diets was welcome “for a long time”.
“It is an injustice vis-à-vis the others.
The problem is that those who are going to block the country are those who have all these advantages.
Ditto for Marguerite who will not go “to demonstrate with the privileged.
Shame on the unions which represent only a small part of the workers.
Young people had better work before thinking about retirement.
»
“I am retired and I will not participate in this event, says Jean-Pierre.
When I started working the week was 42 hours.
At that time retirement was at 65 and working conditions were more difficult.
And then there were more active people than retirees.
The situation has reversed.
To refuse a necessary reform is to bequeath the problem to future generations.
»
For others, the question is not there.
“Strikes no longer serve any purpose.
We have to find other forms of struggle,” assures Jean-François.
“Strikes are all year round: SNCF, RATP, National Education… The French are used to it,” adds Patrice.
"I'm not going to demonstrate anyway the reform will pass with 49.3, we must not forget that this text was a strong project of Macron's program for which the citizens voted..."
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