A second nationwide strike has disrupted French electrical energy manufacturing, public transport and faculties in a backlash in opposition to the federal government’s plans to make individuals work longer earlier than retirement.
Unions, which have scheduled protest rallies throughout France all through the day, wish to preserve the stress on the federal government and hope to repeat the big turnout for the primary nationwide day of protest on January 19.
That day, greater than one million individuals marched in opposition to pushing the retirement age to 64 from 62 and accelerating a deliberate delay within the age eligible for a full pension.
“This reform is unfair and brutal,” stated Luc Farre, the secretary common of the civil servants’ UNSA union on Tuesday.
“Shifting (the pension age) to 64 goes backwards, socially.”
Solely about one in three high-speed TGV trains ran on Tuesday and even fewer native and regional trains, whereas the Paris metro was severely disrupted.
Half of main college lecturers would stroll off the job, their union stated, whereas oil refinery workers and employees throughout different sectors, together with public broadcasters, which performed music as an alternative of reports applications, additionally went on strike.
French energy provide was down by 4.Four per cent, or 2.9 gigawatts, as employees at nuclear reactors and thermal crops joined the strike, information from utility group EDF confirmed.
TotalEnergies stated there was no supply of petroleum merchandise from its French websites due to the strike, including that petrol stations had been totally equipped and that prospects’ wants had been met.
Opinion polls present most French individuals oppose the reform, however President Emmanuel Macron and his authorities intend to face their floor.
The reform was “important” to make sure the pension system retains working, Mr Macron stated on Monday.
Pushing again the retirement age by two years and increasing the pay-in interval would yield an extra 17.7 billion euros in annual pension contributions, permitting the system to interrupt even by 2027, in accordance with labor ministry estimates.
Unions say there are different methods to do that, similar to taxing the tremendous wealthy or asking employers or well-off pensioners to contribute extra.
