♦ A twelfth day of mobilization
The unions called this Thursday, April 13 for a new day of mobilization against the pension reform project of the government of Elisabeth Borne
For this twelfth day, the last before the decision of the Constitutional Council, the mobilization should remain substantial, although in decline compared to the previous mobilization, a week ago. At the Ministry of the Interior, territorial intelligence forecasts between 400 and 600,000 people in the streets.
The last day of the strike, Thursday April 6, brought together between 570,000 and two million demonstrators in the country, according to figures from the authorities and the CGT.
♦ Circulation little disturbed in transport.
Metro and RER traffic in the Paris region should be “almost normal” although slightly disturbed, according to the RATP. The circulation of trains will again be disrupted, but to a lesser extent than last Thursday, according to the SNCF which plans 3 TER out of 5 and 4 TGV out of 5 and only 1 day Intercity train out of 5.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked airlines to give up 20% of their flights at Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse airports.
In energy, resumption of work and lifting of blockages have taken place in refineries blocked by the conflict for a week, but new calls for strikes have been made.
The CGT of the Paris waste and sanitation sector also intends to launch a « act 2 » of the mobilization of garbage collectors with a new call for a renewable strike from this Thursday.
♦ Numerous events organized throughout France
The demonstrators have an appointment at 10 a.m. in Toulouse or Nice. The Marseille procession will set off at 10:30 a.m. from the Old Port, same time for the Montpellier and Nantes processions. The Lyon parade will leave at 1 p.m. from the Place du Maréchal-Lyautey.
In Paris, the unions have made an appointment at 2 p.m. on the Place de l’Opéra from where the procession will head towards Place de la Bastille.
♦ Pending the decision of the Constitutional Council
The executive and opponents of the reform await the decision of the Constitutional Council, scheduled for Friday at the end of the day. It seems unlikely that the Elders, responsible for verifying the conformity of the laws with the Constitution, will cancel the entire reform.
But they could prune the text and strengthen the arguments of the inter-union in favor of a suspension or a withdrawal of a reform which would be de facto unbalanced. A possible validation by the Elders of the popular initiative referendum launched by the left could also give opponents a new objective, while weariness threatens.
From Amsterdam, where he was visiting, Emmanuel Macron promised the unions on Wednesday a “exchange which will allow to initiate the continuation and to take into account” of the Council’s verdict.
♦ The unions are considering the follow-up
“Big days of action, it will become complicated. We are going to enter a different rhythm ”explained Benoit Teste, the secretary general of the FSU on Wednesday. “If the law is validated, as well as the referendum of popular initiative, we will be able to engage in a campaign, to continue the mobilization in adapted forms”.
Among the hypotheses considered by the union staffs for the continuation of the movement, unitary demonstrations for May 1, even a large demonstration in Paris, which would bring together opponents from all over France. The inter-union must meet Thursday evening, to prepare its reaction to the decisions of the Constitutional Council expected Friday afternoon.