- Strikers are protesting against plans to raise retirement age from 62 to 64.
- Eight big unions are taking part in the nationwide strike, disrupting train and schools.
- First day of action attracted more than a million people, with 11,000 police deployed for second wave.
A second wave of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 has resulted in a statewide strike in France.
The strike, which affects oil refineries, public transportation, and schools, is being participated in by eight significant unions.
Following a first day of action that drew more than a million participants, protests are happening all around France.
According to reports, the strike included the majority of the nation’s teachers.
Despite polls showing that two-thirds of French oppose the reforms, which start their journey through the National Assembly next week, the Macron administration is moving on with them.
Without a majority in the legislature, the administration will be forced to rely on the right-wing Republicans just as much as its own legislators from the ruling parties.
The leader of the extreme left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, claimed that France was at a turning point and foresaw even more demonstrators than on the first day of action on January 19. At least 200 towns and cities are anticipated to have street protests, and 11,000 police officers are reportedly on the scene to protect the demonstrators.
Large turnouts were recorded in Toulouse, Marseille, and Nice in the south, Saint Nazaire, and Nantes in the west, all before to the main protest in Paris.
Large turnouts were recorded in Toulouse, Marseille, and Nice in the south, Saint Nazaire, and Nantes in the west, all before to the main protest in Paris.
Only two of Paris’s driverless metro lines were operating normally, and only one in three high-speed trains were operating. On one of the main overground lines in the capital, there were reportedly large crowds.
At least 75 percent of employees at the large TotalEnergies oil refineries and gasoline depots, according to the CGT union, have walked out. After workers at the major electrical firm EDF went on strike, power facilities reported decreased production.
About 55% of secondary school teachers, according to one of the major teachers’ organizations, walked out of their jobs. High school students demonstrated in front of certain institutions, and they said that they would occupy Sciences Po in Paris to show their solidarity for the strikes.
“Many French individuals believe that labor gets increasingly difficult. They don’t want to work, but they don’t want to work under these circumstances “Political scientist Bruno Palier from Sciences Po told the BBC.
The administration has made it clear that it may make some progress on the reform’s specifics, but it has resisted bending on the core demand to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.
Christopher Weissberg, a member of parliament for President Macron’s Renaissance party, stated, “Any change that will ask people to work longer will be unpopular, but we’ve been elected on this reform.”
The retirement age in France is 62, which is lower than it is in most of Western Europe. While Spain’s retirement age is 65 and the UK’s is 66, Italy and Germany have taken steps to raise the official retirement age to 67.
Only 1.7 workers in France contribute to the shared pension fund for each retiree, despite the fact that very few workers have personal pensions connected to capital investments.
“We have a universal system, and it must be self-sustaining. If not, it is deteriorating, and if it is deteriorating, eventually people will lose their pension, “Weisberg forewarned.
The reforms, according to economist Prof. Philippe Aghion, were required since France had a structural deficit of about €13 billion ($14 billion; £11 billion), and extending the retirement age would also assist raise the employment rate in France.
That will give the government credibility to make those investments that are necessary in healthcare, education, and more investment in green industrialization and innovation.
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