After seven days of mobilization, the crowd is sparse this Wednesday, March 15. One hour from the start of the procession, on the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris, the trade unionists, strapped in their colorful vests, armbands on their arms and pinned CGT, Unsa or CFDT pins, are still there, but seem very alone. Around them, while the microphones of the trucks sputter their slogans, “We are here, we will not let go”a few people gather around the sausage or coffee stands.
Pensions: senators and deputies have agreed on a common version of the reform
The more time goes by, the more the street fills up. On the spot, the first signs appear: “Don’t push granny to work”can we read. “Manu, do like me, tax your friends”, encourages another. In the background resonate various and varied covers, from Patrick Sébastien to Gloria Gaynor, through hits made “tailor-made” by trade unionists.
The sequel after the ad
For this eighth day of demonstration at the call of the inter-union, Laurent Berger, the boss of the CFDT, estimated the participation “superior” to the previous day of action on Saturday, but ” without a doubt “ below the record reached on March 7 (1.28 million demonstrators according to the authorities, more than 3 million according to the unions).
At the end of the day, the Paris Police Headquarters will communicate the figure of 37,000 participants while the CGT claims 450,000 demonstrators.
” On strike until retirement “
Even for the irreducible, the strike begins to weigh. Cédric, 44, RER driver at RATP, loses “between 80 and 100 euros per day”. In all, he mobilized ” ten days ” since January to protest against the pension reform.
“Financially, it’s starting to be tough. But we don’t want to let go. »
No question for him to give up the fight, even if the bill must be voted on Thursday by the National Assembly and the Senate, at the end of the compromise found in the joint committee. “It remains to be determined in what form. Occasional strikes, or perhaps other forms of action. » He remains hopeful:
The sequel after the ad
“As long as the action is structured, we must remain united. A vote will not stop us. »
Pension reform: the spring of the unions
The action is structured and the unions ensure that it will remain so. “There will be actions locally or by sector in the coming days. When we say it’s explosive, it’s not wind”, assure Murielle Guilbert and Simon Duteil, of Solidaires. At the head of the procession, Philippe Martinez, of the CGT, announces to the press that “For the CGT, whether there is a vote or 49.3, there is no question of abandoning the mobilization. The determination is the same, the challenge will not stop. » In the Parisian procession, the watchword is clear: ” On strike until retirement. »
“We will continue to put pressure”
Hadjila came from Lyon to feel “the enthusiasm for mobilization in the capital”. This 65-year-old retiree, a former specialist teacher, has already participated in four days of demonstrations. “I have an advantage, I don’t lose money by coming to demonstrate. So all the more reason: even if the text is voted on, I will continue to pound the pavement. » A 49.3 would also be an additional motivation for her. “It will be even more important not to give up at that time. » The Lyonnaise deplores in particular ” the silence “ et ” contempt “ of the government.
“Everything is opaque, nothing is said honestly. Clearly, we are taken for idiots. »
Mark, retired “for 15 days”, is ready to mobilize even if the text is voted on Thursday.
“We were there in 2019. We have been here since January. And we will continue to put pressure on the government until we feel listened to and considered. »
“As long as the government does not backtrack, I will remain mobilized”, promises Gwenalle, a plastic arts teacher in a Parisian high school.
The sequel after the ad
In Rodez, “anger rises because we are not listened to”
She has already responded to the call of the inter-union the previous seven days. For the future, with colleagues, she thinks “to go on strike for the bac surveillance”, which begins Monday, March 20. What does she think of the possible vote on Thursday? “I don’t have a lot of hope but that doesn’t stop me from taking action. The government can impose its reform on us, but it cannot muzzle us. »
In the procession, Gwenaelle is approached several times by other demonstrators, attracted by her sign. Above, a drawing by Emmanuel Macron, wearing a crown, overlooking the legend ” Head slap “. ” I can ? » asks a passerby. The teacher then hands him a faggot. “The goal is to try to uncrown the king. But as with Macron, the crown is screwed in tightly, it never falls…”
General anger
In a France “on the edge of Borne Out”as another protester writes on his sign, everyone hopes that the movement will continue and turn into a general rejection of government policy. “No society can function by enslaving individuals through work. But the social debate is much deeper than this simple law. The pension reform mobilizes, the attitude of the government even more », Analyzes Guillaume, an accountant in a private company.
“When people have nothing left to lose, nothing can stop them”, abounds Marc, leaning against a Force Ouvrière truck. For him, “general anger” seized the French.
The sequel after the ad
“There is inflation, the rise in energy prices, the drop in purchasing power, the ecological emergency… The general context is one of struggle. »
“I hope we go further than 2018 or 2019. That we don’t stop at retirement”abounds Laetititia, 29, German teacher, who denounces “systemic disturbances in our society”.
Cédric, he judges that“it doesn’t lack much for it to blow up”although he hopes the move will succeed “to maintain its peaceful image”. Because for this RATP driver, this mobilization will above all have been unifying. “The more the government moves away from the French, the more we, in the movements, we come together. »
