PARIS (`) – Roads closed, oil refineries disrupted, planes grounded and trains halted – unions this week are threatening to shut down the French economy in what they hope will be their toughest response yet to President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age .
The first actions are expected on Monday as truckers are urged to block main thoroughfares and interchanges in slow-moving actions dubbed “snail” operations. The unions are planning an indefinite strike in national rail transport from Monday evening.
The government is bracing for the biggest disruptions on Tuesday, when strikes are expected in several sectors and protests against the pension law are planned in cities across France. The reform, which would raise the statutory retirement age from 62 to 64 and require 43 years of work to draw a full pension, is currently being debated in Parliament.
“The strikes will have a very strong impact,” Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on Sunday on regional broadcaster France-3. “I know it’s going to be a real headache for a lot of people.”
Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt told FranceInfo news channel on Monday: “Voicing disagreements is legitimate but must not lead to the country being blocked, which would be dangerous for our economy.”
Authorities urged people to work from home if possible on Tuesday.
The complex pension calculation is at the heart of Macron’s presidency and his efforts to keep the French economy competitive on a global scale. The centrist, pro-business government says it is necessary to keep the pension system solvent as the population ages and fertility rates fall.
Opponents, who polls say comprise a majority of French voters, say the changes threaten hard-won French rights. Left-wing lawmakers are saying companies and the wealthy should instead pack more to keep the system afloat.
The bill has sparked the liveliest debate in the French parliament in years.
It is currently being discussed in the conservative-led Senate. The bill is expected to be voted on by the end of the week in the upper house of parliament, where Republicans said they would vote with Macron’s centrist allies to raise the retirement age.
France’s civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 20% of flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and 30% of flights at Orly Airport on Tuesday, in addition to cancellations in other cities. Trains to Germany and Spain are expected to grind to a halt on Tuesday and trains to and from the UK will be reduced by a third, according to rail authority SNCF.
The hard-left union CGT is also calling for strikes at factories that make Renault, Peugeot and Citroen cars, Airbus planes and other sites on Tuesday. Dockers’ unions threaten to lock down ports on Wednesday.
The leader of the more moderate CFDT union, Laurent Berger, called for a “very powerful day of action” on Tuesday, with “many, many people on the streets”. He said more than 250 demonstrations will be organized across France. The unions will then hold a meeting to decide on the next steps of the mobilization, he added.
Unions have organized some of France’s biggest protests in decades since the bill was introduced in January, but this week is proving particularly challenging.
Protests focused on women – and the impact of pension reform on working mothers – are expected to coincide with International Women’s Day on Wednesday.
And on Thursday, unions representing students who haven’t even entered the labor market are trying to mobilize young people to take to the streets to voice concerns about pension rights.
While the measure has a good chance of eventual Senate approval, unions are hoping that strikes and protests this week will keep pressure on the government to make concessions as the bill is expected to continue its way through the complex legislative process.
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