Europe 1 with AFP 11:18 am, June 06, 2023

This Tuesday, the fourteenth day of mobilization against the pension reform takes place everywhere in France with 250 rally points, in major cities but also cities such as Foix, Rouen or Charleville-Mézières. Up to 600,000 demonstrators are expected according to the authorities, who have mobilized nearly 11,000 police including 4,000 in Paris alone.

Ultimate mobilization against the pension reform? Two days after the publication of the first decrees implementing the reform, and on the eve of an ill-started attempt to deal a political blow to the reform in the Assembly, the unions are calling for a 14th day of mobilization that looks like a swan song. This was suggested by Laurent Berger, secretary general of the CFDT and figure of the inter-union, this Tuesday morning on Europe 1.

"We will decide together, but probably on the subject - purely - of pensions, it is probably one of the last days of mobilization," he told the microphone of Sonia Mabrouk. "And that's one more reason to go," he added. 250 processions are planned on the territory, especially in medium-sized cities such as Foix, Rouen or Albertville. Authorities expect between 400,000 and 600,000 people, including 40,000 to 70,000 in the capital.

Key takeaways:

  • Up to 600,000 protesters are expected across France
  • The Parisian procession will leave at 14 p.m. towards the Place d'Italie
  • Few disruptions are announced in public transport, except in Rennes due to a blockage

Few transport disruptions

Few disruptions are announced in public transport: traffic "very slightly disrupted" at the SNCF, with "nine trains out of ten" on average, and "normal" in Ile-de-France on the entire RATP network. A third of flights are cancelled from Paris-Orly. In Rennes, however, a dozen bus lines are suspended because of the blocking of depots by demonstrators, said the Star network. In Marseille, the entrances to the Victor Hugo high school were blocked.

In Paris, the demonstration will leave the Invalides at 14 p.m. towards the Place d'Italie. The unions will hold their press briefing in front of the National Assembly, symbolically marking the link with Thursday, during which a bill from the Liot group to repeal the reform will be examined.

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Obstacle to the Liot bill

On Thursday, Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet is expected to draw Article 40 of the Constitution - which prohibits parliamentarians from tabling amendments with a financial impact - to block the Liot bill. It is "essential to let Parliament vote on this reform," Sophie Binet pleaded on Tuesday. But for Laurent Berger, "it's not off to a good start". In a column published Monday in Le Monde, the left and Liot deputies called on Yaël Braun-Pivet to let the text live, citing the risk of an "increase in anger and violence".

The debate must be held "in the democratic framework and respect for the Constitution," said President Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of a trip to Mont-Saint-Michel. The inter-union, which has not planned to meet Tuesday evening, has not yet made known its strategy in case of failure of the Liot proposal. The CGT intends to use "all means" so that the law does not apply, including by tracking down any "legal loophole" to attack the thirty decrees.

Anxious to maintain its unity beyond the pension reform, the inter-union has broadened its slogan of demonstration, calling to mobilize to "win the withdrawal of the reform" and "obtain social progress". For its part, the government plans to hold a multilateral meeting in mid-June, either at Matignon or at the Elysée, with unions and employers. The country must "continue to move forward," Macron said Monday.