For the fifth time in the last twenty days French trade unions organized protests against the bill on the reform of the country’s pension system, which, among other things, provides for raising the retirement age from the current 62 years to 64 years.

Today’s demonstrations were less crowded compared to previous ones: the left-wing trade union CGT estimated that about 300,000 people took part in Paris, and the police reduced this number to 37,000 people. However, everything shows that the next appointment will be the most responsible, since unions hinted that if the government did not withdraw its bill by March 7, then France would be paralyzed by a general strike.

Meanwhile the confrontation will continue at the parliamentary level where, based on what was planned, the debate in the National Assembly will end tomorrow evening and continue in the Senate.

The government hopes that if the center-right Republican Party, which is not against raising the retirement age in principle, votes for his bill, it will be able to win the parliamentary majority necessary for its approval.

With another, most of the left opposition is pursuing the tactic of obstructing the parliamentary process by introducing thousands of amendments. However, the French Communist Party disagreed with this tactic and withdrew its amendments, upsetting the leader of the Defiant France party. Jean-Luc Melenchoncalling the withdrawal of the amendments “incomprehensible”.

Source: RES-IPE