They have no intention of laying down their arms, even if they are overcome by weariness. At the end of their eleventh national day of action against the pension reform, the thirteen organizations of employees and the defense of youth, united as an inter-union, once again urged the population to take to the streets to protest. This new demonstration of force will take place on April 13, twenty-four hours before the Constitutional Council rules on the law which postpones the age of opening of pension rights to 64 years. His decision is eagerly awaited by all opponents of the text.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, some 570,000 people marched on Thursday across the country, while the unions estimate “nearly 2 million” those who participated in strikes and demonstrations. The figures are down from the two previous mobilizations of March 23 and 28 and much lower than the peak reached on March 7 (1.28 million according to the police, more than 3 million according to the opposing camp).
The protest that is expressed in the public space is ebbing, but the representatives of the inter-union did not seem to worry about it, during the press conference they gave on Thursday evening. “Who has experienced a social movement of this magnitude? Who lasts so long? Who attracts so many people? With a population that still supports so strongly? »launched Patricia Drevon, Confederal Secretary of FO, to highlight the character “unpublished” of the ongoing conflict.
A rebound in participation expected
On the ground, the fight continues, through work stoppages – in particular – in refineries which have consequences for the supply of fuel to service stations, as pointed out by Thomas Vacheron, member of the confederal management of CGT: “It is little publicized but motorists perceive it on a daily basis”, he noted. Mr. Vacheron also announced that the garbage collectors will go on strike again “renewable” from April 13 – the date chosen to orchestrate a twelfth interprofessional mobilization in nearly three months of combat.
The thirteen coalition members are counting on a rebound in participation that day, on the eve of the decision of the Constitutional Council. The goal “is not to pressure” on the judges of the rue de Montpensier, in Paris, made a point of specifying Marylise Léon, the number two of the CFDT. “We rely on them and we have arguments to make”she added, alluding to the « contributions » legal documents produced by several confederations to show that the law on pensions violates the Constitution.
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