A surprise strike by controllers forced the cancellation of half of the flights at a Paris airport

Nail unexpected drivers strike strength cancel half of the flights Saturday afternoon at the Paris airport of Orlyas part of a day of protests against an unpopular pension reform In France.

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked “airlines to reduce their flight schedule by 50% from 1:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) for the whole day,” the administration said in a statement.

The other Paris airport, Roissy-Charles-de Gaulle, is not affected by the strike.

The strike will affect “25 arrivals and 22 departures” of planes at Orlyin particular to domestic flights or with the countries of the European Schengen free movement area.

France is experiencing a series of demonstrations against the Liberal President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reformwho wants to push back the retirement age of 62 to 64 years old for 2030.

Despite massive protests and popular rejection, the project continues its course in Parliament and in the unions They do not rule out intensifying the demonstrations as of March 7when they threaten “paralyze” the country if Macron does not listen to the majority disavowal of the population to his pension reform.

“If despite everything the government and the legislators continue not to listen to the popular rejection, the inter-union will call (…) to paralyze all sectors in France on March 7“, said the leader of the FO center, Frederic Souillot.

The goal is for the government withdraw its proposal to delay the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030 and to advance to 2027 the contribution condition 43 years (and not 42 like today) to be able to receive a full pension.

A majority of French…two out of threeaccording to polls… oppose reformwith which the government seeks to bring the retirement age closer to that of its European neighbors and to avoid a future deficit in the pension fund.

“I find it hard to believe that the government will not listen to this important rejection” of its reform, applied in a “difficult context” of inflation for the citizens, he declared to the AFP Gaëlle Leroy-Careto, during the march organized in Paris in a festive atmosphere.

This 47-year-old social worker took part in the family march – with her husband, daughter, sister and nephew – on the fourth day of demonstrations that the unions wanted “massive” and “family”, so that they are not calling for a transport strike.

“We are protesting for our pensions and that of our children”, declared Leroy-Careto, pointing out that in 2010 the retirement age had already been pushed back from 60 to 62 and that within 10 years it could even rise to 70. “I want to believe that another society is possible”.

parliamentary tension

Faced with a president determined to approve the reform, the unions find themselves at a crossroads: should we harden the protest and try to paralyze the country or continue to call for massive peaceful demonstrations which have so far not bear fruit?

The demonstrations of January 31 – between 1.27 and 2.8 million people— were the most popular protests against social reform in France for three decadesbut the government did not back down. This Saturday, the police are expecting between 600,000 and 800,000 people.

In this context, everything points to a hardening of protests from March 6, the end of the winter school holidays in France. The CGT union has already mentioned a strike that can be extended from March 7, the day of the general strike.

The day before, the 45-year-old centrist president had asked the unions “responsibility” not to block the country and he wanted the debate to take place in Parliament, believing that “this is how democracy should work”.

The tension is maximum también in the Asamblea Nacional (cámara baja) between the opposition of izquierda Nupes and the alianza of Macron, that because of absolute mayoría and hope the apoyo of the opposition of derecha Los Republicanos (LR) has been able to reform in course of review.

But he has a have in the manga. The parliamentary method chosen for the reform makes it possible to apply it from the end of March, if the two chambers of Parliament (Assembly and Senate) are unable to decide before the thousands of amendments presented.

Demonstration of tension, the left-wing deputy Thomas Gates he was excluded Friday 15 days for having published a photo on which it appears a foot placed on a ball with the face of the Minister of Labour, Olivier Dussoptwho called it “violence”.

Whatever the outcome of this reform, there is no doubt that the executive will emerge weakened in public opinion and it is not at all certain that the oppositions (in particular the Nupes) will come out of it strengthened, ”estimated Thursday the polling company Odoxa.

The unions fear that the adoption of the measure will generate “social despair” which will benefit the far right at the polls. The extreme right Marine Le Penopposed to the reform, had already contested the second round against Macron in 2017 and 2022.

(With information from AFP)

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