France on strike: unions say “no” to postponing retirement

PARIS (AP) — Garbage collectors, utility workers and train drivers are among those who will not show up for work Tuesday across France to show their disagreement with a bill that proposes to raise the age retirement at 64, which unions see as a broader threat to the French social model.

More than 250 protests are expected in the capital, Paris, and across the country in what the organizations hope will be their biggest show of force yet against the president’s star standard, Emmanuel Macron, after nearly two months of protests . The project is being debated this week in the Senate.

Unions have threatened to freeze the economy with walkouts in several sectors, including an indefinite strike at SNCF.

Before dawn, passengers piled into one of the few trains bound for Paris from the suburbs. The government has encouraged workers to telecommute where possible.

At the capital’s Charles de Gaulle airport, a fifth of scheduled flights have been canceled, while at Orly around a third have been suspended. Trains to Germany and Spain will not run and those to Britain will be reduced by a third, according to SNCF.

More than 60% of primary school teachers are expected to support the strike, along with other public sector workers.

The reform would raise the official retirement age from the current 62 to 64 and would require 43 years of work to be entitled to a full pension due to the aging of the French population and the increase in life expectancy. life.

Polls suggest that the majority of French voters oppose Macron’s bill. Left-leaning lawmakers argue that wealthier individuals and corporations should contribute more to funding the retirement system.