Hit hard, from day one. The unions set the bar very high Thursday, January 19, for the kickoff of a mobilization they hope “massive” against the pension reform project. They aim to bring together “a million people” in the streets, with more than 200 rallies organized throughout France. “It has to be at the level of 1995, even 2010”, hope Philippe Martinezthe general secretary of the CGT.
Even before the departure of the processions, the forecasts of traffic in public transport augur a strong mobilization. At the SNCF, the regional trains are almost at a standstill: only one in ten TER runs on Thursday, on average, announces the railway company. The situation is chaotic for the TGVs, with barely one in five trains going to the Atlantic axis, one in four going east, one out of three going north and south-east, one out of three for the OuiGo TGVs. Almost no circulation is possible for Intercités trains. The SNCF called on the French to postpone their trips.
Same very reduced service in the Paris metro with three lines completely closed (lines 8, 10 and 11), ten others open “only at peak hours” and one “risk of saturation” on the last three, according to the RATP. On RER A and B, traffic is limited to one train in two at most during peak hours.
The movement also promises to be very popular in schools, with 70% of striking teachers at the national level in the first degree and “at least one third” establishments closed in Paris, according to the Snuipp-FSU, the first primary school union. In addition, several youth organizations have called for people to join the movement organized by the eight major trade union federations, determined to thwart the government’s plan to raise the legal retirement age to 64 (62 today). hui) and extend the contribution period to 43 years from 2027, instead of 2035.
A new meeting on January 26
On the side of refineries and fuel depots, the impact of this first day of strike will not be immediate because of available stocks, but the movement could harden. The oil branch of the CGT Chemical Industries is planning a new strike call for 48 hours on January 26, then 72 hours on February 6, “date on which the employees will be offered the renewable strike with, if necessary, the shutdown of the refining facilities”.
Will these two dates turn into new nationwide strike days? The inter-union, united for the first time since the pension reform of 2010, will decide on Thursday evening, in view of the mobilization figures.
On the CGT side, Philippe Martinez pleads unequivocally for a renewable movement “wherever possible”. But his CFDT counterpart delays: “There is a mobilization day on the 19th, and an inter-union in the evening to see how we are doing for the following times”said Laurent Berger on Franceinfo.
In any case, in companies, part of the unions are pushing for an acceleration, and not only at the CGT Chimie. “Our goal is to be very frontal and offensive. So the question is not whether we are going to renew, but how we are going to renew”, says Fabrice Coudour. The federal secretary of the CGT-FNME (Mines and Energy) evokes symbolic actions, including power cuts:
“All it takes is a small pebble to block a gear. And we want to put a lot of small pebbles…”
The date of January 26, on the other hand, will pose difficulties for the SNCF. “We will not be able to strike because we are subject to the social alarm procedure, which requires prior consultation for a fortnight”, explains Erik Meyer, Federal Secretary SUD-Rail. Here again, the rest of the operations will be decided jointly. The SNCF inter-union will meet on Monday at the headquarters of the central works council. “For the moment, we are waiting to see the level of mobilization”, continues Erik Meyer. According to him, “all options are on the table”from the renewable strike to the sequenced strike (alternation of strike period and work period), which makes it possible to limit the cost of a long strike on the pay slips.
Influencing parliamentary debates
Erik Meyer is convinced of this, the railwaymen “can have a very strong influence on parliamentary debates”. And time is running out. Presented to the Council of Ministers on January 23, the bill must be examined in committee at the National Assembly at the beginning of February for a start of examination in the hemicycle, in public session, from February 6.
68% of French people are opposed to the reform project and 51% support the trade union movement, according to a recent Ifop poll for “the Sunday Journal”. And more than 500,000 people have signed the petition of the inter-union against a reform “unjust and brutal”.
If the parliamentary left displays a united front against the government project – a second day of mobilization is planned for Saturday January 21, with a Parisian demonstration at the call of youth organizations and La France insoumise – the presidential majority is more fragmented . “If it does not evolve, I will not pass this law”, was able to declare the deputy Patrick Vignal; his colleague Barbara Pompili, a former Macronist minister, believes that the reform, as it stands, would create too many“social injustice”.
Sacrificed generations: the real losers of the pension reform
The government will however be able to count on the support of some of the deputies on the right. Until then, he warns: “We hope that this popular expression will not turn into a blockage”said government spokesman Olivier Véran at the end of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, who nevertheless said “respect” that “democratic expression” – ” of course “.
