Paris (AFP)

Railway workers, teachers, students, policemen, garbage workers, lawyers ... unions, opposition parties and "yellow vests" are calling for a strike and demonstrating Thursday against the future pension reform, campaign promise that the executive is determined to carry out.

The movement promises to be particularly followed and could last several days in transport, because of the call for an unlimited strike at the SNCF and the RATP.

The mobilization against the merger of the 42 current regimes (private, civil servants, special, complementary) in a universal system by points "looks to be strong and durable", warns the CGT, which called for an interprofessional strike with FO, the FSU, Solidarity and youth organizations.

An inter-union (CGT, FO, the FSU, Solidarity, Unef, Fidl, MNL and UNL) is programmed Friday to consider the continuation. With the notable exception of the CFDT, favorable to a pension system "universal", "more readable" and "fairer".

Anticipating a long movement and a tense social context where discontents multiply (hospital, emergencies, police, teachers, railway workers, "yellow vests" ...), the executive chained meetings in recent days, including a government seminar Sunday to Matignon.

For his part, the High Commissioner for pensions, Jean-Paul Delevoye, once again receives each union and employer, before making his conclusions to Edouard Philippe Monday 9 or Tuesday 10 December.

On the front line, the head of government must unveil the project in mid-December, before a presentation to Parliament in early 2020.

Last week, it left a door open for entry into force after 2025, the year originally planned. And to topics dear to unions, such as family rights, hardship or "guarantees" expected by teachers, nearly seven in ten will be on strike.

Monday, to reassure them, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire pronounced for a revalorization of their salary.

The firmness remains however: "I will not give up," warned Emmanuel Macron, when Edouard Philippe is "more determined than ever".

- "Social discontent" -

But the specter of 1995 weighs. Alain Juppé, the prime minister of the day, had to back down under the pressure of the street on his reform of the "special regimes".

"There are two conditions to carry out such a project: a minimum of consensus on the merits of this upheaval and confidence in the government.None of these conditions are met," said Bernard Thibault, former head of the CGT, leader of the railroads 24 years ago. For him, "social discontent is stronger than in 1995".

While the French are very much in favor of a reform of the pension system (76%), 64% do not trust the government to carry it out, according to an Ifop survey for the Journal du Dimanche.

The initiative of a renewable strike came from RATP unions, after a strike on September 13 that almost paralyzed the capital and its surroundings.

SNCF, Air France, EDF, heavyweights, lawyers, teachers or students ... the movement has grown over the weeks, extending to "yellow vests", but also, on the political side, to the Socialist Party, CPF, insubordinate France and the National Gathering.

Unions not used to the pavement, plan to participate: the CFE-CGC will demonstrate, the CFTC has left its unions "free" to rally and Unsa federations will gather before Bercy, in the presence of their secretary general, Laurent Escure. As for the CFDT-Cheminot, against the current of its central, it calls for an indefinite strike.

The bill defining the "universal" retirement system is Emmanuel Macron's election promise in 2017, at a time when the system was in equilibrium. But the Pension Guidance Council (COR) now provides for a deficit, prompting the executive to consider savings measures even before the implementation of the reform.

The CFDT does not want to hear about it. If a reform asking "people to work longer on the career (...), in January, yes, the CFDT will mobilize," warned Laurent Berger, secretary general of the first French union.

© 2019 AFP