Paris (AFP)

The mobilization against the pension reform between Thursday in its second week and could be amplified, the day after the presentation of the project by the Prime Minister who, far from appeasing anger, has tipped the reformist unions in the camp of the opponents .

End of special schemes, "age of equilibrium" at age 64, entry into the system from the generation born in 1975 ... Edouard Philippe detailed Wednesday the content of the future "universal pension system" by points, ensuring that "everyone would be a winner" with this reform.

But as soon as the plan was unveiled, the union revolt widened. The "red line is crossed", thundered the secretary general of the CFDT Laurent Berger, first support for a universal system by points but hostile to an extension of the contribution period through the establishment of an "age of balanced".

"My door is open, my hand is tense," Edward Philippe told him.

Not enough to convince the first French trade union, which called on its members to take to the streets on December 17 - but not with the inter-union CGT-FO-Solidaires-FSU - during the next major mobilization.

In the evening, Laurent Berger asked the government to "go back" on "the age of equilibrium". "Seeing that the compromise is at hand and sweeping it for a question of budget dogmatism is a profound mistake," he lamented in an interview with Les Echos.

The CFTC and Unsa, who were involved in the consultation, also called for mobilization.

On December 17, "there will be only Medef will not be on strike," quipped the number of the CGT, Philippe Martinez.

The president of the employers' movement, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, in fact hailed "a good balance between a reform that is redistributive" and the need "whenever possible" to "work longer".

On the contrary, FO wanted to "strengthen the mobilization". "I stay in the opposition camp," said François Hommeril (CFE-CGC).

"That it reacts, we knew it, but could we decently present something without talking about financial equilibrium?" Commented a member of the government.

According to the plan unveiled by Edouard Philippe, the legal age will remain at 62 years, with "an age of equilibrium" gradually brought to 64 years and "a system of bonus-malus" to encourage to work longer and balance the accounts of the system.

Boost for minimum retirement, increased consideration of hardship, revaluation for teachers, bonus for large families, implementation only from the 1975 generation, governance of the system entrusted to unions and employers ...

"We have the feeling of having given, moved (...). We also heard that the state did not decide alone," pleaded Matignon.

"The law will provide a golden rule that the value of the acquired point can not decline," said Philippe, responding to one of the main concerns raised by the reform.

- Transport always disturbed -

The disappearance of the special schemes is confirmed, but for officials and agents of the special schemes whose legal age of departure is 52, in particular the drivers of the SNCF and the RATP, the reform will apply from the 1985 generation.

For the Prime Minister, "the guarantees given" justify that the strike, "which penalizes millions of French, stops".

It is on the contrary to the "reinforce" to SNCF that called Laurent Brun (CGT-Cheminots). At the RATP, Unsa called to "install the mobilization in the long term".

Traffic forecasts for Thursday are almost unchanged from Wednesday: a TGV and a Transilien on 4, 10 lines of the Paris metro closed.

Local demonstrations and rallies are planned from Toulouse to Paris, where a parade must leave from Nation.

The discontent goes beyond the transport sector. The Bar Council will vote on Friday, and the main police unions are threatening to "toughen up" their mobilization. FSU teachers called for the renewal of the movement.

In the political ranks, oppositions rejected the project, "unfair" for Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) and Yannick Jadot (EELV), "regressive" for Olivier Faure (PS).

"This reform is unanimously against it, it must be withdrawn," insisted Fabien Roussel (PCF) during a rare unitary meeting of the left in Saint-Denis.

On the right, Guillaume Peltier (LR) denounced "a smokestack", Marine Le Pen (RN) a "terrible" reform.

The bill will be ready "at the end of the year", submitted to the Council of Ministers on 22 January and discussed in Parliament at the end of February.

© 2019 AFP