On the eve of a sixth day of action which promises to be massive against the pension reform and its postponement of the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, the French, still according to polls mostly hostile to the project of l executive, must prepare to live 24 hours of a country "at a standstill" as promised by the unions whose morale is inflated by the success of previous mobilizations.

They want to do better than January 31, when the police had identified 1.27 million participants and the inter-union more than 2.5 million in the streets of France.

The CGT has identified 265 gatherings.

A record.

“At the beginning of January, people were mobilizing in a resigned way. But today, given the scale of the movement, more and more of them believe that a government retreat is possible”, analyzed the leader of the CGT Philippe Martinez in the JDD.

Demonstrators march against the pension reform in Paris on February 16, 2023 © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP

If the executive watches what is being prepared in the street by urging opponents of "responsibility" such as the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt or his counterpart in charge of Public Accounts Gabriel Attal, he also has an eye on the Senate with a majority of LAW.

At the Luxembourg Palace, where the examination of the text is to continue on Monday, the debates progressed slowly throughout the weekend with the abolition of special regimes for new entrants and the creation of a "senior index" in companies, but only for those with more than 300 employees.

"We will do everything so that the reform can be adopted," said Sunday the boss of LR senators, Bruno Retailleau, whose support for the reform is essential for Macronie.

The examination of the text must end on the 12th.

Telecommuting, blockages

Mr. Retailleau also sharply criticized those who want to "bring France to its knees" by targeting the toughest opponents of the reform who have announced renewable strikes in the energy, refineries or transport sectors, also to the chagrin of the presidential camp. .

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is due to speak Monday evening on France 5.

Very strong disruptions are planned in urban and rail transport, all the unions having called for a renewable strike at the RATP and the SNCF, from Tuesday.

For the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, it will be "one of the most difficult days we have known".

Public transport users line up to access the platform for line 1 of the Paris metro during a transport strike at SNCF and RATP on December 12, 2019 in Paris © Philippe LOPEZ / AFP / Archives

At the SNCF, the strike notice begins Monday at 7 p.m. with one train in five on average for the TGV Inoui and Ouigo as well as for the TER.

Intercity train traffic will be almost non-existent.

On the side of the Paris metro, most lines will see their circulation restricted mainly during rush hours, with the exception of lines 1, 4 and 14.

The government encourages those who can to telework even if this recommendation will apply more to urban executives than to workers and employees.

In energy, the unions opened the ball of mobilizations on Friday with production cuts in several nuclear power plants.

The CGT promised "a black week".

On the fuel side, the CGT also called for a renewable strike in refineries, with the aim of "blocking the entire economy".

On the roads, the mobilization of truckers will be scrutinized.

Teachers will also be on strike again, with unions calling for "total closure of schools, colleges, high schools".

High school student blockages are also expected even if the mobilization is struggling to take hold in the youth.

Student and high school organizations met on the 9th to "strengthen the movement".

Demonstrators march against the pension reform in Paris on February 16, 2023 © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP

Stopped construction sites, closed store curtains, open tolls and blocked roads are also part of the panoply of actions of opponents who will find the next day the opportunity to continue to be heard for International Women's Rights Day.

© 2023 AFP