French pension reform: The need for a pause over a fracture
Emmanuel Macron must seize the opportunity offered by the leader of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, who proposes to put the reform on 'pause' to negotiate the subject of work and pensions.
At the end of the ninth day of action against the French pension reform, which took place on Thursday, March 23, one would have to be blind not to see that the country has tipped over into a new dangerous episode. More than a million demonstrators responded to the televised intervention of Emmanuel Macron, who had tried, the day before, to defend the meaning and legality of the reform adopted by way of Article 49.3 of the French constitution. Far from calming the game, the attitude and offensive words of the French president had the effect of rekindling the fuse of anti-Macronism, swelling the processions of younger demonstrators and reinforcing the anger of those who have been marching since the beginning of the conflict without being heard.
Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés French pension reform: Day of anger gives way to night of turmoil Violence, condemned by the unions, broke out on the bangs of the processions. Injuries were reported. Public buildings were damaged. The door Bordeaux's city hall was burned. The symbolism is strong since the city was to welcome a few days later King Charles III, who had chosen France for his first official visit.
With a new demonstration scheduled for Tuesday, March 28, by the inter-union, the French authorities had to agree that they would not be able to give a dignified welcome to the British monarch and the queen consort, Camilla. French prestige took a hit. Once again, France is sending back to the rest of the world the disconcerting image of a country on the verge of explosion.
Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés Fiery protests, police limits: Why Macron reluctantly postponed state visit of King Charles III 'Getting things back on track'
In this dangerous context, Laurent Berger, who appeared until now as one of the diehard opponents of the reform, made a proposal. On the French radio network RTL on Friday, March 24, the leader of the moderate CFDT union did not demand the withdrawal of the 64 years as he has been doing since the beginning of the conflict. He pleaded for the reform to be put "on pause," mentioning a period of six months during which the government and the unions would work on the topics of work and pensions "to get things back on track."
The term "pause" is sufficiently ambiguous to allow the dialogue to be re-started and the sincere architects of a compromise to head back to the table. The opportunity must be seized while there is still time. Macron is obviously not yet ready, since from Brussels, where he was participating in a European summit, he only took up part of the proposal. He said he was ready to receive the unions, but only to discuss the work component that he had mentioned during his televised speech, through topics such as career paths or professional wear and tear. At this stage, the pension reform, currently being examined by the Constitutional Council, remains untouchable in his eyes.
Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés Macron's own camp worried by French president's inflexibility on pension reform Given the point of incomprehension and tension which the country has reached, such inflexibility becomes eminently dangerous. At the end of two months of a parliamentary debate that was both confrontational and truncated, the retirement age at 64 is experienced as an aggression and an injustice by a part of the working population that is in no way privileged and has the feeling that to work for too long is to suffer. This is a fact.
We are interested in your experience using the site.Even if he remains convinced that his reform is in the interest of the country, Macron cannot remain deaf to the anger of those who suffer from it. He must find strong answers and break the isolation in which he is dangerously locked day after day. Many options will be available from the moment he decides to give up on making the immediate postponement of the retirement age the be-all and end-all of his five-year term. Unfortunately, he is not there yet.
Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés 'Macron walked all over us,' says head of hardline CGT union
Saturday, March 25, 2023
NO BASSARAN ! LA LUTTE S'ORGANISE
<blockquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇫🇷 FRANCE
🇫🇷<br><br>More customers having an aperitif in complete
relaxation during the demonstrations.. 🤦 <a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/greve28mars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#greve28mars</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Macron?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Macron</a><br><br>🔊<br>
<a
href="https://t.co/8lTebrNA2G">pic.twitter.com/8lTebrNA2G</a></p>—
Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) <a
href="https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1639618210575073281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
25, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>
<bloc
kquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More than a
million people took to the streets across France with 119,000 in
Paris.The demonstrations were sparked by legislation raising the
retirement age by two years to 64.<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FranceProtests?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FranceProtests</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Legislation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Legislation</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/natives?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#natives</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pensiondrop?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pensiondrop</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/franceinfo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#franceinfo</a>
<a
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paris</a>
<a
href="https://t.co/TQ7iGwrSzB">pic.twitter.com/TQ7iGwrSzB</a></p>—
Mehvish Mushtaq (@Meh_vi_shh) <a
href="https://twitter.com/Meh_vi_shh/status/1639199684953554946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.tw<blockquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">pptdrr ca a leak
la suite de la video <a
href="https://t.co/aeQQkGMrsj">pic.twitter.com/aeQQkGMrsj</a></p>—
vic🪐 (@victornansion_) <a
href="https://twitter.com/victornansion_/status/1639268266970345479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>
itter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en"
dir="ltr">**********************<br>VIVE LA FRANCE
!<br>**********************<br>Macron has banned public
demonstrations in Paris. So even more people have come out to
demonstrate. <a
href="https://t.co/8r02OuJJNa">pic.twitter.com/8r02OuJJNa</a></p>—
Mark Alan Pearce (@PearceAlan1962) <a
href="https://twitter.com/PearceAlan1962/status/1637225528422793219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://p
Trending now
What’s happening
latform.twitter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Elle est là <a
href="https://t.co/nt9JKKrXvn">pic.twitter.com/nt9JKKrXvn</a></p>—
Elliot Lepers (@ElliotLepers) <a
href="https://twitter.com/ElliotLepers/status/1638906468580872192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
23, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote
class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a
href="https://t.co/SbToTj0wzy">pic.twitter.com/SbToTj0wzy</a></p>—
Elliot Lepers (@ElliotLepers) <a
href="https://twitter.com/ElliotLepers/status/1638949286204542979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March
23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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charset="utf-8"></script>
