'The Movement Has Spread': Strikes Across France Aim to Block Macron Attack on Pensions

Hundreds of thousands of French workers walked off the job Tuesday and marched against the government's effort, led by neoliberal President Emmanuel Macron, to raise the nation's retirement age from 62 to 64.

For the sixth time this year, French unions organized strikes and rallies to protest Macron and his legislative allies' deeply unpopular attack on pension benefits. Police anticipated between 1.1 million and 1.4 million participants at more than 260 demonstrations nationwide. Laurent Berger, secretary-general of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor, estimated, based on initial figures, that Tuesday's protests were the biggest since mobilizations started in mid-January.

"The strike has begun everywhere," said Eric Sellini of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), which urged people to "bring France to a halt."

"If Emmanuel Macron doesn't want France to come to a standstill and a dark week for the energy industry, it would be better for him to withdraw his reforms."

Energy workers impeded fuel deliveries, transit workers shut down most services, teacher walkouts prompted the closure of many schools, and garbage collectors' ongoing work stoppage has led to a build-up of trash. Meanwhile, BBC News reported that "there will be calls to extend the strikes to include power generation" in the coming days.

Thirty-eight-year-old activist Sarah Durieux, part of a massive, largely family-friendly crowd in Paris, told The Associated Press, "To see so many people today gives me hope."

"The movement has spread because to defend workers' rights means defending a social model based on solidarity," she added.

Unionized workers blocked the exits to all eight oil refineries in mainland France on Tuesday, striking fear in Thierry Cotillard, president of Les Mousquetaires retail chain, who warned that "if the refineries are blocked we could run out of petrol by the end of the week."

It is unclear how long the blockades will last. But Emmanuel Lépine, leader of a trade union representing refinery workers, said last week that the aim is to "bring the French economy to its knees."

Prior to Tuesday's actions, labor leader Sébastien Ménesplier declared that "if Emmanuel Macron doesn't want France to come to a standstill and a dark week for the energy industry, it would be better for him to withdraw his reforms."

As BBC News noted Tuesday, the campaign so far "has caused little damage to the economy, and the bill is proceeding through parliament."

The legislation, discussed last month in the National Assembly—where members of the New Ecological and Social People's Union, a leftist opposition coalition, tried to derail debate by proposing thousands of amendments—is being considered in the Senate this week. A vote on the final version is expected later this month.

"Unions and the left know time is running out before the reform becomes a reality—which is all the more reason for them to up the pressure now," BBC News observed.

Macron and his supporters have called the proposed changes "essential," citing projected budget deficits. But union leaders and left-wing lawmakers have stressed that parliament could bolster France's pension system—without raising the retirement age or increasing the number of years workers must contribute before qualifying for full benefits—by hiking taxes on the wealthy.

"The mobilizations will continue and grow until the government listens to workers."

"The job of a garbage collector is painful. We usually work very early or late... 365 days per year," Regis Viecili, a 56-year-old garbage worker, told AP. "We usually have to carry heavy weight or stand up for hours to sweep."

Trash collectors' early retirement age would be raised from 57 to 59 if the reform proposal is enacted.

"A lot of garbage workers die before the retirement age," said Viecili.

A record 1.3 million people took part in mass demonstrations against the legislation on January 31. At subsequent protests, the number of people hitting the streets—while still in the hundreds of thousands—began to decrease.

According to BBC News, "Union leaders now believe rolling strikes are their best hope of success."

Citing CGT secretary-general Philippe Martinez, AP reported that unionized workers "will decide locally" on Tuesday night whether to engage in open-ended strikes.

A majority of French citizens support the ongoing strikes. According to an opinion poll conducted recently by the French survey group Elabe, two-thirds of the public supports the movement against the government's planned pension changes in general, 59% back efforts to bring the country "to a standstill," and 56% support rolling strikes.

Martinez said in an interview Sunday that unions "are moving up a gear."

"The mobilizations," he predicted, "will continue and grow until the government listens to workers."

Xavier Bregail, a 40-year-old train driver in northern Paris, told AP on Tuesday that "the government will step back only if we block the economy."

"The subject behind this is inflation, soaring food and energy prices," he added. "I just want to live decently from my work."