new mobilization before a still hypothetical vote in the Assembly

Before “putting a stop” to France on March 7, the unions are organizing their fifth day of mobilization against the pension reform on Thursday February 16 to maintain pressure on the deputies whose debates in the Assembly must end in here at Friday midnight.

In the middle of the school holiday period, with the exception of Île-de-France and Occitanie, participation in strikes is set to drop sharply. Disruptions are expected to be limited in transport, with 4 out of 5 TGVs in circulation and normal traffic in the Paris metro.

Nevertheless, 30% of flights at Paris-Orly will be canceled. And in energy, the hydroelectric power station of Grand’Maison (Isère), the most powerful in France, was on strike on Wednesday.

Less crowds

After a Saturday which mobilized 963,000 demonstrators according to the authorities, the crowd should be less. The police say they expect between 450 and 650,000 people in the street, including 40,000 to 70,000 in Paris.

The Paris parade is scheduled from Place de la Bastille to Place d’Italie. But, once is not custom, the numbers one of the eight main unions will demonstrate in Albi, symbol of this France of medium-sized cities very mobilized against the reform.

“We want to shine the spotlight on one of the defining features of this social movement. There is a France of work which wants to affirm that it exists, that it is not just the metropolises, ”underlines Laurent Berger in the CFDT magazine.

Seven out of ten French people opposed to the reform

On the strength of the constant opposition of around seven out of ten French people to the reform, according to the polls, and of a petition which has passed the symbolic milestone of one million signatures, the unions intend to “maintain the pressure on the deputies” , according to the number 1 of the CGT, Philippe Martinez.

Failing to influence the executive, the inter-union sent a letter to parliamentarians, apart from those of the RN, to ask them to reject the reform “and more particularly its article 7”, which brings the decline in the legal age of departure from 62 to 64 years.

“Malaise” among LRs and on the left

But to decide on this article, the deputies will have to, after several days of sterile grapple, accelerate and give up defending thousands of amendments by Friday midnight, cut-off time for the examination of the text before its transmission to the Senate. . But do they really want it? According to the leader of the Communists André Chassaigne, there would be “a de facto alliance” between the majority and the oppositions in order not to reach the vote.

According to him, the government “is not sure of itself”, especially since the rejection of article 2 on Tuesday on the senior index, there is “unease” among LR deputies and on the left, some at LFI fear that if article 7 is passed, “it’s a blow to the social movement”.

To add to the confusion, the RN filed a motion of censure on Wednesday. Enough to allow Emmanuel Macron to ironize in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday on oppositions which “no longer have a compass”.

“Put France to a standstill”

Vote or not, the unions reserve themselves for the day of March 7, the inter-union having called to “put France to a stop”, an action supported by 58% of the French according to an Elabe poll for BFMTV. “On March 7, we are going to take a new step (…) which it is imperative to succeed”, according to Laurent Berger.

Other actions are planned the next day on International Women’s Day. On March 8, “all women in this country must come out” against a project that “mistreats” and “humiliates” them, launched LFI deputy Rachel Keke during a feminist meeting in Paris on Wednesday.

While university sites were closed on Wednesday in Rennes, Nantes and Paris, the main youth organizations are announcing a day of national mobilization on the 9th.

Enough to feed desires for renewable strikes from March 7. If the inter-union has not called for it, certain confederations like Solidaires are in favor of it. The RATP unions have already announced it as well as the CGT garbage collectors.

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