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LATEST: French unions call new strikes after government pushes through pension reform

French unions have called a new day of strikes after President Emmanuel Macron's government decided to force through controversial pension reform plans without a parliamentary vote.

Published: 16 March 2023 20:10 CET

LATEST: French unions call new strikes after government pushes through pension reform

Protesters gather outside the French parliament on Thursday. Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP

The eight main union federations announced a new day of “strong mobilisation” against the plans on Thursday, March 23rd.

The announcement came just hours after Emmanuel Macron’s government decided to ram the highly controversial pension reform bill through parliament without a vote, using the power known as Article 49.3.

CGT spokesman Catherine Perret, speaking on behalf of the eight union federations, called for “local unions rallies” at the weekend, followed by another “big day of mobilisation” on March 23rd.

Precise details will be announced nearer the time, but it’s likely that Thursday will see major disruption.

Marches, strikes and no-confidence vote: How France reacted to Macron’s pension decision

Unions have been staging one-day strikes since the pension reform debates first started on January 31st that have disrupted services such as trains, city public transport and schools, although disruption has been less severe in the most recent actions.

Although most workers had opted for one-day strikes, some unions had called rolling strikes, including train drivers and waste collectors.

On Thursday the government used a rarely-used power known as requisition to force striking waste collectors in Paris back to work after 7,000 tonnes of uncollected garbage piled up on the city streets.

You can follow the latest strike announcements in our strike calendar HERE.

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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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