Pensions: unions and opposition keep pressure on government

Text by: RFI Follow

"49-3 or not, we don't want it": opponents of the pension reform took to the streets in Paris and in several other cities on Tuesday March 3 against the pension reform. The participants more specifically denounce the use of 49.3 to have the text adopted without a vote at the Meeting. Tonight, the deputies will have to vote on two motions of censure tabled against the government by the oppositions of right and left.

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A motion of censure on its right and another on its left: the government faces on Tuesday two motions of censure in the Assembly and new rather sparse demonstrations of the opponents to the reform of the pensions, after the recourse to the weapon of 49.3.

After thirteen days of debate in the National Assembly at first reading for this emblematic reform aimed at creating a retirement system “ universal By points, Édouard Philippe signed Saturday the end of the game with the surprise use of this constitutional tool allowing the text to be adopted without a vote.

This is what set the powder on fire: in Parliament the opposition decided to table two motions of censorship and the intersyndical called for mobilization everywhere in France. These trade union organizations, mobilized since December 5 against the project, keep the pressure on the government.

Sparse events

The secretary general of Force Ouvrière Yves Veyrier spoke at the microphone of RFI to explain the reason for the demonstration by the inter-union front: “ We are attached to democracy, to the role of the majority and of the opposition. We are here to say that we do not want this points retirement system project and hear it ! There were a few thousand in Marseille. In Paris, the procession, where some proclaimed " 49.3 or not, we don't want it ", was quite scarce.

Yves Veyrier (FO): "This point retirement system is a mistake from every point of view!"

On the side of the National Assembly, the rejection of motions is little doubt, since the presidential party has an absolute majority. Neither the Republicans, with 104 deputies, nor the left with 63 elected representatives, can gather the majority of 289 votes required to bring down the government.

Marine Le Pen announced Tuesday that she would vote with the 5 other deputies of the National Rally the censure motion filed against the government by the left but not that of the right LR, which proposes a retirement at 65 years.

If the government is not censored, the bill will be considered adopted, but this only applies to the current reading, the first in the Assembly. It will then be immediately transmitted to the Senate, a right-wing majority, which will debate it in session at the end of April.

► To read also: Pensions in France: opponents of 49.3 mobilized in the Assembly and in the street

But activists hope to mobilize majority deputies a few hours before the examination of the motions of censure, like Hervé Ossant, militant CGT: " Vote the motion of censure, because we are facing a State which deprives representatives of debates of the Republic. And from this point of view, we can clearly see a government which from the start does not want to debate, apart from pseudo-consultations with the social partners ”.

In Paris, the protesters against the pension reform wish to mobilize the deputies who must this Tuesday March 3, 2020 in the evening vote for or against the motion of censure. RFI / David Baché

The deputies Hubert Julien-Laferrière (Rhône) and Delphine Bagarry (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) announced Monday that they were leaving the group La République en Marche in the National Assembly after the government's decision to use 49-3 to adopt his pension reform project.

Since the government announced the use of 49-3 to have its pension reform project adopted, Bouches-du-Rhône senator Michel Amiel has announced his departure from the majority party, while the campaign offices 'Édouard Philippe in Le Havre and Minister Gérald Darmanin in Tourcoing were tagged.

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