The eight main unions agreed, Wednesday, February 8, on a new day of strike and demonstrations against the pension reform: February 16 was chosen as the fifth date for national mobilization, Dominique announced to Agence France-Presse. Corona, deputy secretary general of the UNSA, on behalf of the intersyndicale.
The third day of mobilization, Tuesday, brought together 757,000 people according to the Ministry of the Interior, “nearly 2 million” according to the organizers, figures below those of previous days of action. On January 31, the inter-union had announced more than 2.5 million participants, the CGT 2.8 million and the authorities 1.27 million. On January 19, the CGT had announced more than 2 million participants, and the ministry 1.12 million. At the SNCF, the RATP, EDF and among the teaching staff, the strikers were also less numerous to mobilize.
The inter-union called in a press release “to demonstrate even more massively” during the fourth day of national mobilization, scheduled for Saturday, February 11.
The secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, admitted on Tuesday “a small handicap with the holidays” who started for zone A, temporary handicap, therefore, in his eyes. It would be “a democratic folly to remain deaf” to the challenge of the reform, according to him. “The results of the week, we will do it on Saturday evening”also temporized Simon Duteil, co-delegate general of the Union Syndicale Solidaires. “The parliamentary debate is until the end of March. (…) We are not going to burn all our cartridges now”underlined Mr. Berger.
CGT leader Philippe Martinez called for strikes “harder, more massive, more numerous”, “if the government persists in not listening”. “The first responsible is the President of the Republic because he makes it a personal matter. When he decides something, he goes all the way, it’s dangerous.”he warned on BFM-TV.
Deadline February 17
The leader of La France insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, called on Emmanuel Macron to become ” reasonable “accusing him of “to start his new five-year term with a coup by showing that he is the boss”.
The deputies will continue to consider, on Wednesday, the gradual end of the main special regimes, including those of the RATP, the electricity and gas industries, the Banque de France.
Questioned during the session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, reiterated the determination of the executive. “Yes, we have to do [la réforme]because the system is structurally in deficit”he assured.
“There is a social mobilization that we watch, that we listen to and which is obviously important at this time when Parliament also expresses another legitimacy”noted Wednesday the Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament, Franck Riester, on Franceinfo, recognizing “a difficult reform” Who “demands efforts from the French”.
The government has set a deadline of February 17 for the examination of the text at the Palais-Bourbon. Faced with criticism of the thousands of amendments tabled by the “rebellious” – from « l’obstruction » according to the majority – the deputy Manuel Bompard (LFI) quipped: “If we don’t want there to be amendments, the simplest thing is to abolish the National Assembly. »