Paris (AFP)

After a massive mobilization on Thursday, the strike continues on Friday in particular in transport, while the unions opposed to pension reform, exhilarated, must decide on the continuation of the social movement, before any concessions from the executive.

All social partners will be received Monday by Solidarity Minister Agnès Buzyn and High Commissioner Jean-Paul Delevoye, announced Buzyn, saying that the "anger of the French" has been "heard".

The day before, at least 800,000 people, according to the Interior Ministry, demonstrated in France, and entire sectors of activity have idled to protest against the future "universal system" of retirement. The CGT has claimed more than 1.5 million protesters in the country and saw "a successful first step". A mobilization "of rare magnitude, unpublished since 2010 and 1995", during previous pension reforms, has abounded Force Ouvrière.

Friday, after a significant paralysis of transport the day before especially in the Paris region, the situation remained extremely disturbed. In Paris, the renewal of the RATP movement was voted until Monday and 9 metro lines remained closed.

The traffic is globally "in line with what had been announced," told AFP a spokesman for the RATP. "It's even a little better than expected." The automatic lines 1 and 14 work "normally", the 3 finally opened at 06H30 between Pont de Levallois and Havre-Caumartin and two additional stations opened on line 4, which runs through Paris from north to south.

Same story at the SNCF: "the situation is consistent with what was announced yesterday (...), roughly speaking, in Ile-de-France, it's a train on five."

- Ghostly -

The nerves of public transport users in the Paris region were sometimes put to the test.

"It's a nightmare, people are even crazier than usual, and when they got to Gare du Nord, they would not let us down," said Lola in RER B. "I was levitating, feet no longer touched the ground, "said Marie-Gwenaëlle, who left a train of the same line.

At the Gare du Nord, the hall giving access to trains serving the suburbs and the main lines was very quiet, while in the basement, the subway platforms were black of people, noted an AFP journalist.

Strasbourg station, ghostly in the fog, was also almost deserted.

In France, the SNCF management anticipates 90% TGV and 70% TER canceled. The rate of strikers within the railway company had reached 55.6% Thursday, unprecedented since 2007.

The roads of the Paris conurbation totaled about 340 kilometers of traffic jams around 8:00 am Friday, an exceptional level at this time.

Air France announced the cancellation on Friday of 30% of its domestic flights and 10% of its medium-haul flights, EasyJet, Transavia and Ryanair also leaving planes on the ground. Airlines have been asked to reduce their program by 20%.

In education, where the mobilization was massive Thursday, some of the schools remained closed Friday. The Ministry of Education reported Thursday 51.15% of teachers strikers in the primary and 42.32% in the secondary.

- New events Saturday -

Should we expect new events as early as Saturday, to inflate the actions already planned against unemployment and precariousness? The inter-union (CGT, FO, Solidaires, FSU ...) and youth organizations meet Friday at the headquarters of Force Ouvrière to decide, to push the power to abandon his reform.

On Thursday, some demonstrations were marked by clashes in Paris, Lyon, Montpellier or Toulouse in particular, but the head of government, Edouard Philippe, "paid tribute" to unions, noting that in "a very large number of cities", the demonstrations "went well".

President Emmanuel Macron is "calm and determined to lead this reform, in listening and consultation," said the Elysee Thursday, stating that his prime minister "would speak in mid-week next week. general architecture of the reform ".

At the origin of anger: the "universal system" by points supposed to replace from 2025 the 42 existing pension schemes (general, civil servants, private, special, autonomous, complementary). The executive promises a "fairer" device, when opponents fear a "casualization" of retirees.

On Thursday, seven of the eight French refineries went on strike. Police officers performed a minimum service. At EDF, the rate of strikers reached 41.4% according to management. Enedis reported a rate of 60.37% of strikers. Dust collectors, lawyers, retirees or road carriers had also called for action. As well as "yellow vests", the PS, LFI, RN or PCF. Unusual trade unions have been involved, including unsa federations, CFTC unions, and especially the CFE-CGC.

© 2019 AFP