Macron's pension reforms - which would increase the retirement age in many sectors - have been met with fierce resistance.
French unions are now pressing ahead with more pension strikes despite President Emmanuel Macron’s call on New Years Eve for all sides to reach a ‘compromise’.
In his address to the nation Macron urged the government to find a ‘speedy compromise’ with the French unions and he put the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on the spot saying he ‘expected his government’ find the way get a deal.
Philippe Martinez, the secretary general of the main French union confederation the CGT said he had heard the Macron speech a ‘thousand times before’ and said Macron was ‘stuck in a bubble – thinking that everything is OK in France’. He called for the French public to join the strikes, which began in early December.
The French pension system is complex with different arrangements applying to different groups of workers.
Early retirement plans and pensions are jealously guarded by French workers. Macron succeeded in angering France’s union leaders (even the more moderate ones) with his proposals to roll them up into one scheme and telling them the retirement age, may have to rise from aged 62 to 64 if another way cannot be found to reach an agreement.
Government ministers have tried to pin the blame on Martinez for being ‘obstructive’ – with a junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari accusing Martinez and the CGT of intimidation. Martinez immediately shot back accusing the government of presiding over ‘organised chaos’ and deliberately making the conflict even worse.
Martinez is a wiley and experienced union leader. He has tapped into the public anger and resentment from French workers at having their pensions and retirements meddled with by a government they do not trust.
And the government strategy is backfiring.
The culture minister was forced to make concessions to ballet dancers from the Paris Opera who went on strike and performed Swan Lake on the streets of Paris before the Christmas holiday – described as “the most beautiful picket line Paris had seen”.
Other concessions are being proposed by ministers to airline pilots, firefighters and police – but they appear to be set against making concessions to powerful rail and transport workers who have been at the vanguard of the strikes.
If the French unions continue to mobilise their membership and maintain popular public support for another series of national strikes Macron’s reforms to the pension system look doomed.
Trade unions in Europe and in the UK have shown support and solidarity with French workers in this struggle – and are now closely watching developments. The next national strike is scheduled for January 9th which will make the strikes the longest on record since the 1980s.
Tony Burke is the TUC General Council’s Lead on employment and trade union rights; Chair of the Campaign For Trade Union Freedom and Unite Assistant General Secretary.
8 Responses to “Why British unions are looking closely at the French pension strikes”
Alice Aforethought
Labour should disestablish the unions from itself. Associating with trade unions, who are widely perceived as greedy, public-hating Marxist wreckers – does Labour immense damage. They make the party look like the sockpuppets of a bunch of Soviet style gangsters. This is pretty much true but it needs to be less obvious.
adrian
AGE 56 , sochialist unite untion member labour supporter @ proud . ‘least the french stand up fight there corner BRITISH to head up there own back side full selfish self . The real rot started BRATAIN 80s thatcher conservative era horrible 18 yrs there power 1979-1997. CONMERCHANTS thatcher divided, conquored the working class . SOLD off our council sochial housing . Sold off public utilitys water ,gas , electric , transport . Now run for profit greed not service . Sad to say BRATAIN may never recover from capatailist wroung doing . Into 2020 its unknown waters coming out EU/ BREXIT is not such big deal , HOWEVER JOKER BORIS JHONSON , CONMERCHANT CONSERVATIVE GOvENrTMENT IN CHARGE IS continue back wards step to them us soceity 1930 victortian era . GOOD buy NHS , DSS, DWP COUNCIL HOUSING STATE OLD AGE PENSTION CONTINUIE RUBBISH WE HAD FOR LAST 10 YEARS 2010 . Rich get richer @ poor poorer. GLAD i 56 want see full force CRAP RUBBISH AHEAD 20- 50 yrs time feel sorry for young under 30s today . 60S, 70S 80S 90S were much better , sochialble times .
Opera de Paris en Grève: The Ballet Company Striking Back Against Macron’s Pension Reforms – LeftInsider
[…] on strike – Culture in danger). It was described by many as one of the greatest pickets in Paris or the trade union movement. High praise certainly, but the performance encapsulated much of what is contained in the slogan […]