In 1995, the then president, Jacques Chirac, and his prime minister, Alain Juppé, tried to introduce a universal system and end the many different “special regimes” enjoyed by public sector workers. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For more information see our Privacy Policy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. During his re-election campaign last year, Macron again pledged to overhaul the pension system, insisting the measures were necessary to “save” it from deficit. The changes were shelved when the Covid pandemic struck, but not abandoned. Macron made it a plank of his 2017 election campaign and made his first push two years later, sparking protests and transport strikes. Successive French presidents have tried and failed to overhaul the pension system and raise the retirement age. As a fallback, the government has said it will use a constitutional measure known as 49:3 to pass the legislation without a parliamentary debate or vote. It will be counting on the conservative Les Républicains party to help push the measure through parliament. The government, which lost its majority in the general election last June, insists it will not back down and has asked workers not to paralyse the country. The Eurostar and Thalys are expected to run as normal but Lyria services to Switzerland will be seriously disrupted. Only one in 10 regional trains and between one-third and one-fifth of TGVs are expected to operate. Intercity trains are expected to be the worst hit, with warnings that almost all will be cancelled on Thursday. The transport secretary, Clément Beaune, said people should prepare for a “hard day” and suggested they work from home rather than struggle to get to offices. Under a 2007 law, transport workers are required to maintain a minimum service, but travellers have been warned this is not guaranteed. And when we say that, we mean there will be others … everywhere if possible,” he told the France 2 television channel. Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT union, said he hoped “several million people” would be striking and demonstrating. They are demanding that the measures are immediately withdrawn, describing them as “unfair and unnecessary”. Union leaders have said Thursday will be the “first day of mobilisation” in their struggle to get the pension plans dropped. Unions have overcome their often antagonistic relations to find a common cause, uniting for the first time in 12 years. An Ifop poll for France’s main Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, found that 68% of those asked were hostile to the government’s measures. There is particular opposition to Macron’s plans to raise the official retirement age from 62 to 64 and to make workers pay into the pension system for longer. Staff at many theatres, music venues and banks are also expected to join the action, while police are bracing for protesters taking to the streets across the country.Ī recent poll suggested the French public accepts that changes to the pension system are necessary, but not those proposed by the government. Oil refinery workers are also stopping work. Strikes have been announced by truck drivers, couriers and delivery companies. Most trains will not run, the Paris metro has said its services will be heavily disrupted, and flights are reported to have been cancelled. Three-quarters of teachers are expected to strike, closing schools, and stoppages will disrupt transport and health services.
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