The unions of France coordinated a nationwide strike this Thursday, the 23rd, opposing the president’s controversial pension reform Emmanuel Macron, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64. The government passed the law without a vote in parliament last week, sparking the ninth day of mass protests since January.
There have been sporadic demonstrations across the country for months, but Thursday’s demonstration is the first coordinated action by antireformists. Police have been briefed on more than 200 protests across France and are preparing for a march involving hundreds of thousands of people in Paris. Around 12,000 police officers were deployed, 5,000 of them in the capital alone, hoping to quell any violence during the protests.
The transport and energy sectors will also be affected by the legislation. Public transport in Paris is paralyzed and 50% of the country’s highspeed trains are out of action. Air travel is also expected to fall, with 30% of flights being affected at Paris Orly Airport alone. Some of the country’s largest oil refineries will also be blocked.
A large part of the population criticizes the government’s proposal to raise the retirement age in the country. However, Macron did not back down from his plan and forced legislation through the National Assembly, using a constitutional clause allowing the government to pass the proposal without the support of MPs.
“The best response we can give the President of the Republic is that millions of people are on strike and taking to the streets,” said Philippe Martinez, general secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions, one of France’s two largest unions.
+ Macron says he will implement pension reform by the end of the year
Macron and his supporters say reform is needed to keep the pension system functioning. In their opinion, in the current context, the system would eventually fail due to fewer births and longer living elderly, although the threat is not immediate.
The government projects the social security gap to reach €13.5 billion (R$76.7 billion) by 2030. Macron defended on Wednesday 22nd that the law should be passed by the end of this year, no matter how unpopular it may be.
“It’s in the country’s best interest. Between opinion polls and the national interest, I chose the national interest,” said the French President.