March 29. 2024. 4:56

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France to witness 12th nationwide strike against Macron’s pension law


French unions called for workers to quit their jobs and join protest rallies on Thursday (13 April) for a twelfth national day of demonstrations against a bill which will make French employees work longer.

Some trains may be cancelled and strikes can be expected among teachers, garbage collectors, refinery workers and garbage collectors at a moment when polls indicate that a large majority of voters oppose raising the retirement age from 64 to 64.

However, industrial action is losing steam and the latest rallies have attracted fewer people that the record crowds of earlier this year which brought out millions of protesters on the streets.

This latest wave of protests occurs a day prior to Friday’s eagerly awaited verdict of the Constitutional Council regarding the legality and constitutionality of the bill.

The government will have the right to promulgate the law if the Council agrees to some conditions. This will hopefully end the protests that at times have turned violent and coalesced widespread hatred against Macron.

On Wednesday, the French president stated at a press conference that he would organize a meeting with unions following the Council’s decision to begin working on other proposals.

During a state visit, he stated that the country must keep moving forward, work hard and face all the challenges ahead of it.

Opposition to policy changes could have long-term repercussions. One question is whether disillusionment with politics can boost the far-right.

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"I’m not so optimistic about the Constitutional Council’s decision," said far-right leader Marine Le Pen to BFM TV. She is against the pension bill. "But what should I do? Burn cars? We will just tell the French about the National Rally."

Macron and his government believe the law is necessary to ensure France’s generous pension system doesn’t go bankrupt.

The unions claim that this can be achieved by other means, such as taxing the wealthy more or deepening changes to the pension system.

According to TotalEnergies , the Gonfreville refinery, located in northern France, reopened on Tuesday. This marks the end of a month-long strike at its four domestic refineries.

The CGT union, however, called for a walkout in all refineries on Thursday as part of the nationwide strike.

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