Pension reform in France: twelfth day of action announced for 13 April

Observer of the League of Human Rights at the demonstration against the pension reform on April 6, 2023 in Paris. Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin questioned state funding of LDH on Wednesday in Parliament. "I do not know the subsidy given by the state, but it deserves to be looked at as part of the actions they have been able to carry out," said the Minister of the Interior. The LDH criticized the "immoderate and indiscriminate use of force" during the protests against the basins in Sainte-Soline last week. REUTERS - SARAH MEYSSONNIER

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

In France, for more than two and a half months, opponents have been beating the pavement against the postponement of the legal retirement age. The government seems to be playing on a loss of momentum of the movement but the unions called last night for a new day of action next week, on the eve of the verdict of the Constitutional Council on the text of the reform.

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In France, the eleventh day of mobilization against the pension reform mobilized a little less than usual. On Thursday, April 6, they were 570,000 to march throughout the country, against 740,000 on the last day of action on March 28, according to the authorities. The unions estimated at "nearly 2 million" the national attendance, a figure slightly down according to them, when the CGT union had then counted "more than 2 million" protesters.

In Paris, in the afternoon, through the windows of the Assembly, a thick cloud of tear gas reminds MPs that the street is still rumbling against the pension reform. The trade union procession passes not far away.

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The rebellious Clémentine Autain still believes in it, at the microphone of Pierrick Bonno of the political serive. "We can't know exactly how this will continue. We are waiting for the result of the Constitutional Council. We saw that with the 49-3, there was a revival. In any case, what is certain is that the President of the Republic cannot win in paradise.

But in the presidential camp, we see the end of the tunnel with the decision of the Sages next week. MP Pierre-Alexandre Anglade is already in the post-social movement. "This week, the Council of Ministers studied the military programming law, the Minister of Economy presented his green industry plan, the Citizens' Convention on the End of Life delivered its conclusions. Once the Constitutional Council has delivered its opinion, the country will indeed have to be able to move forward.

► Read also: The government's waiting strategy on pension reform

If the deputy of the Republicans (LR) Hubert Brigand is opposed to this pension reform, he also believes that the movement will run out of steam. "At some point, it's the eleventh day for people protesting, and ultimately losing part of their paychecks. Inevitably, I understand that the demonstrators at some point become discouraged and that we finally arrive at a deterioration of the situation.

Twelfth day of action on 13 April

A deterioration of the situation that will have consequences. According to an LR cadre, even if Emmanuel Macron manages to promulgate his reform, the protest will reappear one day or another. Probably tenfold. On Thursday evening, the inter-union called for a 12th day of strikes and demonstrations against the pension reform on Thursday, April 13, on the eve of the long-awaited decision of the Constitutional Council.

The bosses of VSEs opposed to the pension reform

More than six out of ten leaders of very small businesses (VSEs) take a dim view of the government's pension reform and are wary of its economic actions, in a context of high pessimism, according to a Fiducial-Ifop poll published Thursday.

Carried out among a thousand bosses of companies with less than twenty employees, this survey was unveiled at the end of an eleventh day of mobilization against the pension reform, the day after a meeting that turned short between Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the inter-union.

This reform is not only contested in the street: 62% of VSB leaders are not in favor of it, including 43% "not at all", while 36% say they are in favor, including 10% who strongly support it. "These scores are particularly close to the measure carried out on all French people in mid-March," says the Fiducial-Ifop survey (68% not favorable and 32% favorable).

They consider that the ideal average retirement age is 62.4 years, while the government has planned to raise it from 62 to 64 years, a measure that crystallizes anger. Departure is expected even earlier in sectors with greater hardship (just over 61 years), but beyond 64 years in that of business services.

Pension reform in France: twelfth day of action announced for 13 April

Pension reform in France: twelfth day of action announced for 13 April

Twelfth day of action on 13 April

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