This Tuesday, March 7 marked the sixth day of the mobilization against the pension reform, which brought together 1.28 million demonstrators according to a count made by the Ministry of the Interior and 3.5 million according to the CGT, more than January 31 record. The unions hailed a “historic mobilization”, calling on the government not to “remain deaf”. Everywhere on the territory, the processions were very provided.
A few days before the probable adoption of the reform in the Senate, the main opposition unions are keeping up the pressure. The SNCF and the RATP have thus planned a disrupted traffic this Wednesday, while the secretary general of the CGT of electricians and gas, Sébastien Ménesplier, promised “a black week in energy”.
A “historic mobilization”, “better than January 31”
At the start of the Paris procession, the secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, welcomed a “historic mobilization”, “better than January 31”, his CGT counterpart Philippe Martinez assuring by his side that “it will be the most strong day of mobilization since the beginning of this conflict”. In Paris, 81,000 demonstrators were present on Tuesday, according to figures from the police headquarters at the end of the day. The CGT has counted 700,000.
Mobilization meets records in the provinces
The sixth day of demonstration against the pension reform was marked by a clear resumption of mobilization in the provinces, with figures close to or even higher than the levels of January 31 in many cities, according to the unions but also the authorities, affirms the AFP.
Record beaten in Brest: with 22,000 participants identified by the police and 30,000 by the unions. Same thing in Pau, where the prefecture counted 15,500 demonstrators and the organizers 22,000, and even pulverized in Rodez with 14,500 to 25,000 people. Less spectacular but just as unprecedented, the figures from the authorities in Bastia (2000) Belfort (4500) or Guéret (6500) confirm the renewed mobilization observed in several medium-sized towns, as well as metropolises such as Nantes (30,000).
In many other localities, the official counts were identical or very close to the performances recorded at the start of the year, notably in Lyon (25,000), Montpellier (25,000), Grenoble (20,500) and Rouen (13,500). Elsewhere, the rebound did not reach these heights, in particular in Rennes (19,000), Lille (11,500), Tours (11,500) and Strasbourg (9,500).
As usual, police and union estimates sometimes made the big difference, with reports of one to four in Nice (from 7,000 and 30,000) and Le Havre (from 10,700 and 45,000), even one to six. in Saint-Etienne (from 8,800 to 50,000), the palm still going to Marseille with a ratio of one to eight, between 30,000 and 245,000. Before the start of the demonstration, the leader of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon , present in the Marseille procession, considered that “the President of the Republic would be wrong to count on the deterioration of the situation or on popular fatigue”. According to him, “the time has come” for the Head of State “to take a democratic initiative”: “Either a dissolution of the Assembly or a referendum.”
SNCF: 39% of strikers, according to the unions
The rate of strikers Tuesday at noon at the SNCF reached 39% according to a union source at AFP, less than on January 19 (46.3%), the first day of mobilization against the pension reform. On the other hand, the participation exceeds the mobilizations of the other days and in particular that of January 31 which had recorded 36.5% of strikers. In particular, there are 76% of strikers among drivers and 55% among controllers.
All the unions in the group have started a renewable strike from Tuesday to oppose the pension reform currently being debated in the Senate. SNCF was therefore forced to cancel 80% of its TGV Inoui and Ouigo and a similar proportion of TER. On Wednesday, traffic “will remain disrupted”. The railway company recommends that those who can reschedule or cancel their trips and favor teleworking.
Between 30 and 35% of striking teachers, according to the ministry
The sixth day of national mobilization against the pension reform results this Tuesday in an average rate of striking teachers of 32.71%, including 35.35% in primary and 30.09% in secondary (colleges and high schools) according to the ministry, well below the figures of the unions.
The Snuipp-FSU and Snes-FSU unions have for their part announced striker rates of at least 60% in the first and second degree. The highest rate of strikers among teachers dates from January 19, during the first day of action, with 42.35% in primary education and 34.66% in secondary education, according to the ministry.