The French, who oppose the pension reform, await the court’s decision.

New national strike in France on the twelfth day of nationwide protests against pension reform. This new wave of protests comes one day before the expected decision of the Constitutional Council on the legality of the law tomorrow. If the council gives the green light, albeit with some reservations, the government will have the power to promulgate the law. After nearly three months of protests, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets again in France, despite the decline in participation. Estimates speak of between 400 and 600 thousand on the streets, compared to 570 thousand on April 6 and 740,000 on March 28.

Once again, in conflict with the government, the unions resumed mobilization in various sectors with marches in the capital and major French cities. Earlier in the day, a group of protesters symbolically blockaded the district in the capital where the Constitutional Council is located. On the public transport side, a number of inconveniences are expected, with flights to Nantes, Bordeaux and Toulouse being 20% ​​less, as requested by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. While 3 of 5 regional express trains, 4 of 5 high-speed trains and only 1 of 5 intercity trains were operating in the railway sector, there were cancellations and delays in metro and regional trains in and around Paris. The student world is also in turmoil, with several high schools and campuses blocked in some cities, including Lille.

In energy, access to the Feyzin refinery near Lyon was blocked for several hours and slowdowns were experienced at the Gravelines nuclear power plant. In Paris, the CGT union announced a new end to waste collection, with the resumption of the “second act” of the three-week strike in March, which has accumulated up to 10,000 tons of garbage. streets of the capital. As of today, garbage is not collected both by the capital’s garbage collectors and by private companies participating in the protest. Some incinerators were also completely or partially blocked, such as Ivry sur Seine, Saint Ouen and Seine Saint Denis. Blockades and disruptions are reported in the cities of Caen, Brest and Rennes in the west of the country. In Paris, the show started at 14:00 from Place Bastille.

According to some analysts, the Constitutional Council is unlikely to repeal the entire reform, but by censoring parts of the text it could strengthen the trade unions’ argument for the suspension or withdrawal of the reform. President Emmanuel Macron promised the social partners from Amsterdam, where he was on an official visit, that “in the spirit of cohesion, an exchange will allow the Council’s decision to continue and be considered”. At stake is the possibility of giving new impetus to the opposition by the Constitutional Council’s approval of the popular initiative referendum proposed by the left. In any case, uncertainty reigns over future developments, and disagreements are not lacking against President Macron and Prime Minister Borne. On the left, while the political forces want the “protest movement” to continue, Senate president Les Républicains (traditional right) Gérard Larcher suggests Macron adopt “another form of government”.

Among the hypotheses the unions fear are the continuation of mobilization with unitary marches for May 1 and a large demonstration in Paris. The unions should definitely come together this evening to determine their reaction to the expected decision from the Constitutional Council tomorrow. 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows it to be ratified only by the Senate’s vote, not the House. The pension reform, which was adopted by referring to the article 1, is supposed to take effect in France from 1 September on paper, but this deadline seems destined. slip.

Source: Today IT

\