The numbers one of these eight organizations (CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, Unsa, Solidaires, FSU) and five youth organizations will meet at the Bourse du travail in Paris at 7:15 p.m.

Two dates are mentioned to launch the mobilization: January 19 or 24.

“The first date could be the third week of January,” Céline Verzeletti, CGT confederal secretary, told AFP.

"The objective is to start as quickly as possible, because we know that the government will want to go very quickly by skipping the necessary debate in Parliament".

Several union sources underline the interest of "drawing" before La France insoumise, which plans to demonstrate on Saturday 21. "It's up to the union organizations to set the tone and kick off the mobilization," said the secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, at the Parisian on Saturday.

The inter-union has been meeting since June at regular intervals, anxious to display its unity as the cardinal reform of the President of the Republic approaches, which plans to push back the legal retirement age, a priori to 64 years old. .

A union unity unprecedented for 12 years and the mobilization against the reform carried by Eric Woerth, who had raised this legal age from 60 to 62 years.

The general secretary of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, on January 4, 2023, in Paris © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

"No deal"

This unity is one of the keys to the success of the mobilizations, noted the secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, in an interview with the AEF.

It "constitutes an element of confidence for employees" and "encourages employees and agents to mobilize massively", he argued.

How long will it last?

Educated by experience, union officials suspect the "reformist" unions, first and foremost the CFDT, of wanting to quickly get out of a mobilization in the street with which they are uncomfortable.

Laurent Berger wanted to cut short this little music, in Le Parisien: "It must be clear, even with positive measures on long careers or hardship, we remain opposed to the reform with an age measure. It there will be no deal with the CFDT", he insisted.

The general secretary of the CFDT Laurent Berger on January 3, 2023 in Paris © Thomas SAMSON / AFP

Questioned by AFP, historian specializing in trade unionism Stéphane Sirot notes that the CFDT is "very legalistic", and that the conclusion of an agreement in Parliament, with the right, risks having an "impact (... ) on union mobilization".

"We saw it during the 2010 movement: when the law was passed, the CFDT recognized that it was now time to stop the mobilization days," he recalled.

"We are not against the grain. We have always said that the demonstration was the last resort", told AFP Cyril Chabanier of the CFTC, acknowledging however that his union could "stop sooner" to demonstrate if the government improves its project.

On the left of the trade union spectrum, officials imagine the mobilization in two stages, with the organization of two or even three major days of mobilization before the February holidays, then the installation in a "harder" movement at the beginning of March.

Anyway, the success or not of the movement will be "a form of truth test for the unions", notes Stéphane Sirot.

"If they lose this battle again, if they get nothing on the issue of pensions, it will be complicated for them to manage afterwards".

For the former secretary general of the CGT, Bernard Thibault, questioned on Tuesday by AFP, "all the ingredients are there for the mobilization to be very strong. Firstly because the very principle of this reform is rejected by a large majority of the population (...) Then because we are witnessing an unusual trade union unity which suggests that the unions can win this fight".

© 2023 AFP