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LATEST: French unions announce further strikes after one million join protest

After a successful "first day of mobilisation" in which 1 million people took to the streets, schools closed and trains and city public transport was paralysed, unions have announced a second day of mass strikes in their ongoing battle against pension reform.

Published: 19 January 2023 20:09 CET

LATEST: French unions announce further strikes after one million join protest

Demonstrators gather in Place de la Republique during a rally in Paris on January 19, 2023, as workers go on strike over the French President's plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP

Unions announced on Thursday evening that a second day of mass strike action – backed by all eight of France’s union federations – will take place on Tuesday, January 31st.

“The message is very clear: the government must give up both the retirement age of 64 and the extension of the working life,” said a spokesman for the joint union action.

Full details of which services will be affected by the strikes are yet to be announced, but unions will be hoping for a repeat of Thursday’s action – which saw extremely limited service on trains and on public transport in most of France’s major cities.

Schools across the country were closed as teachers talked out, and other public services were disrupted by the action.

Demos in towns and cities across France saw a turnout of 1.1 million people, according to estimates from the Interior Ministry although unions claimed a higher figure.

‘Pension reform is an insult to the French people’ – more than 1 million people demonstrate

In addition to the January 31st strike, some unions are also talking about “extra actions and initiatives, including strikes around January 23rd” – which is the day the pension reform is presented to the Council of Ministers, the first step on the legislative journey.

Unions have promised the ‘mother of all battles’ against the pension reform – including raising the pension age from 62 to 64 – which is due to come before parliament in March.

Some individual unions have already announced extra actions, such as the oil refinery workers who will be holding strikes and blockades at the end of January and beginning of February.

Calendar – French pension strike dates

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Reader question: Can I approach my French deputé for help?

There are 557 députés (MPs) in France’s Assemblée nationale – of whom 362 are men and 215 are women.

They are elected on a constituency (circonscription) basis, so every area of France has its ‘local’ representative in parliament – you can look up yours here.

Officially however, French MPs are invested with a national mandate – effectively, France is their constituency. They are, therefore, expected to act in what they believe are the best interests of the whole country at all times – not just the interest of their local area.

National mandate

“MPs in France are not mouthpieces for their voters,” the Assemblée nationale website declares, “they act for themselves in relation to their vision of the general interest.”

It goes on to insist that MPs, “cannot be prisoners of local or sectional interests” – meaning that they should not be persuaded to vote in a particular way by outside parties, whether that is businesses/ monied individuals/ lobbyists – or their own voters.

It’s a Revolutionary ideal that has its origins in article three of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, from August 26th, 1789: “The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body, no individual can exercise authority that does not emanate expressly from it.”

And the French Constitution states: “national sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it through their representatives”.

Basically, it means that deputies represent the entire nation and not just voters in their constituency.

READ ALSO OPINION: How to be loved by the French electorate? Retire or die

In reality, of course, MPs are influenced by what matters to their constituents – so for example an MP elected in a rural area might be more likely to back laws that protect farmers.

And it’s not just MPs – the recent unsuccessful attempts to ease post-Brexit rules for British second-home owners were proposed by Senators who have constituencies in south-west France and the Alps; areas well known for having a high number of second homes.

Nonetheless, the theory is of ‘national’ MPs.

Meeting the locals

Crucially, however, this does not mean that – once elected – MPs do not meet residents in the constituencies that elected them and discuss local issues. Quite the opposite.

Constituents can contact their député to discuss ideas and concerns. In fact, your local MP – with their national mandate – is easy to get in touch with. You can find their official assembly email address here, along with where they sit in the hemisphere and what they have recently been up to in parliament, by searching for your commune or département.

In theory, that national mandate means you could contact any of France’s 577 MPs for assistance. But it makes sense to seek out the ones the electorate in your area voted for, because it means they should have a handle on any local issues and angles.

If you already know the name of your friendly neighbourhood MP, you could search for them on social media, and contact them that way; while many – but by no means all – have their own website, with additional contact details.

So, generally, you can get hold of your French MP easily enough. They hold office hours, organise public meetings, respond to numerous requests for assistance and advice, and channel the concerns of their constituents to national decision-making bodies.

It is part of their job to help you if they can.

You may also bump into them at events in the local area such as summer fêstivals, the Fête de la musique or more formal events such as the Armistice Day commemorations or the July 14th celebrations. Politicians like to get involved in local events to either remain part of the community or to persuade people to re-elect them (take your pick).

At formal events they will be wearing a tricolore sash and you will be able to tell them apart from the local mayor by which way up they wear their sashes (honestly, this is true).

Mairie

Sometimes their help will involve pointing you in the direction of your local mairie – which may be better at dealing with more practical matters.

In fact, for many local issues, the mairie should be your first port of call – or possibly the préfecture. France has several layers of local government and they have quite far-reaching powers – especially local mayors.

For this reason, it’s more usual to first approach the mairie rather than your MP if you have a problem – but there’s nothing to stop you approaching your MP instead.

The convenient truth is that French MPs do not work just in the ivory tower of the Palais Bourbon.

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