Without saying so explicitly, they issued an ultimatum to the government. On Saturday February 11, the eight main employee unions and five youth defense organizations announced their intention to “bring France to a standstill”, on March 7, if the pension reform is maintained as it is. The word “blockage”, which would have acted as a foil, was carefully avoided in the joint declaration drawn up by the thirteen coalition members, but their combat ardor is clearly displayed: they are ready “to harden the movement (…) in all sectors ».
The decision was made public a few minutes before the start of the demonstration in Paris against the executive’s plan. In the capital, 93,000 people marched, according to the interior ministry (500,000, according to the CGT). Throughout the territory, the public authorities have estimated the number of women and men who have beaten the pavement at 963,000. A result higher than the previous national day of action on February 7 (757,000), but below the first two, which had exceeded the million mark in January.
Guest, Sunday, of the program “Le Grand Jury RTL-Le Figaro-LCI”, Laurent Berger, the secretary general of the CFDT, questioned the official costing provided the day before, qualifying it as “minorized” – which is not in his habits. Based on a survey carried out by his troops, the Cedto leader said that 1.8 million people had joined the processions. Whatever the figures used, the organizations involved in the struggle achieved a high level of mobilization during a period of school holidays which did not work in their favour.
Operation “dead city”
“This social movement, unprecedented in its scale, is therefore now anchored in the social landscape”said Frédéric Souillot, the number one of FO, reading the press release from the inter-union, surrounded by his counterparts, during a press conference at the Paris Labor Exchange on Saturday. “Determination is always there, always more important”, added Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT. François Hommeril, the president of the CFE-CGC, hammered home that “the only possible way out of this conflict” is to abandon the postponement to 64 of the legal retirement age.
The protesters plan a new show of force, Thursday, February 16, twenty-four hours before the end of the examination of the bill relating to the reform in the National Assembly. That day, the leaders of the thirteen organizations will parade in Albi, so as to highlight “anchoring” of this “popular protest” in France. “It is a way of saluting medium-sized cities, where participation in demonstrations has, in proportion to the population, often proved to be more sustained than in large cities”explains Cyril Chabanier, the president of the CFTC.
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