Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

STRIKES

French unions announce new day of strikes against pension reform

French unions have announced a tenth day of strikes for Tuesday, March 28th in their ongoing battle to derail the French government's controversial pension reform.

Published: 23 March 2023 20:10 CET
French unions announce new day of strikes against pension reform
Protestors hold banners reading "Strike" (L) and "64" (R) during a demo in Strasbourg France on March 23, 2023. (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP)

French trade unions have called for a new day of nation-wide strikes and protests next Tuesday (March 28th), which will coincide with a scheduled visit by Britain’s King Charles III to the country.

The new date of March 28th was announced on Thursday in a joint statement by trade union organisations which blamed the government for the “explosive situation” in the country and called on workers to continue protesting against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

Tuesday’s strike will be the tenth since the start of walkouts in protest against pension reform in France. The announcement comes the same day as the ninth inter-sector day of action, which saw protests across the country.

Union sources claim that around 3.5 million people took to the streets across the country, while the ministry of the interior cites around one million participants. Clashes between protesters and police were reported.

READ MORE: LATEST: Riot police clash with pension reform protesters in Paris

During the day of action on Thursday, union activists blocked access to Terminal 1 at the Paris – Charles de Gaulle airport, and union sources estimate that about 25 percent of SNCF (French national rail service) workers walked out.

Despite requisitions, rolling strikes have continued in certain sectors, such as oil refineries and waste collection. According to Franceinfo, approximately 17.9 percent of French service stations were reporting some shortages as of Thursday, with 8.8 percent completely out of fuel.

A representative for the CGT union representing oil refinery workers warned Franceinfo on Thursday that “fuel shortages will intensify” in the coming days, as refineries and fuel depots remain blocked.

READ MORE: MAP: Where in France are blockades causing fuel shortages?

Though government has begun forcing striking refuse collectors in Paris back to work using requisition laws, local officials estimate that it will take up to two weeks to clear the estimated 9,000 tonnes of rubbish from the capital’s streets.

The announcement for more strike action comes a day after French president Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on Wednesday after his government survived two votes of no-confidence, saying that he wanted the government’s controversial pension reform to come into force by the end of the year, insisting it was “necessary” despite nationwide protests.

You can keep up to date with strike action in France HERE.

You can listen to The Local France’s team discuss the political crisis in the new Talking France podcast on Spotify, Apple or Google podcasts. You can download it HERE 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

STRIKES

Paris garbage collectors strike as city readies for Olympics

Paris garbage collectors went on strike on Tuesday, two-and-a-half months before the French capital is due to host the Summer Olympic Games.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:44 CEST
Paris garbage collectors strike as city readies for Olympics

Paris rubbish collectors had warned of possible strikes over the summer, raising the spectre of piles of trash roasting in summer heat on the streets as hordes of athletes and tourists descend on the City of Light.

ANALYSIS: How likely is strike chaos during the Paris Olympics?

Unions and City Hall differed on how many of the collectors had walked off the job on Tuesday.

Paris city hall said that 16 percent of staff, or one in six, were striking.

“Collection services were little affected today,” a City Hall official told AFP, without providing further details.

But the CGT union branch that represents garbage collectors, hailed a “strong” mobilisation effort, saying that 70-90 percent of staff, depending on the arrondissement, had walked off the job.

CGT said that some 400 striking workers had “occupied” the building housing city hall’s human resources department on Tuesday morning.

City Hall put the number at 100 and said they had left by 12 noon.

CGT had warned that walkouts would occur on several days in May and then continue from July 1st to September 8th.

Summer Olympics will run in Paris from July 26th until August 11th, and the Paralympic Games from August 28th to September 8th.

Refuse workers in the Paris region are demanding an extra €400 per month and a one-off €1,900 bonus for those working during the Olympics, when French workers traditionally take time off for the summer holidays.

The mayor’s office had previously told AFP that it would extend bonuses of between €600 and €1,900 that it had already announced for workers contributing to the Olympics effort to refuse collectors.

The mayor of Paris’s 17th arrondissement, Geoffroy Boulard, said the strike was “irresponsible”.

“To take hostage not only Parisians but also tourists and visitors is also an attack on France’s world image,” he said.

In March last year, a three-week strike by rubbish collectors against unpopular pensions reform saw more than 10,000 tonnes of waste piled in Paris streets at its height.

Images of the heaps of trash, some mounting several metres high, were seen around the world.

SHOW COMMENTS