Further action promised as France hit by pension reform protests
Millions of French people took to the streets Tuesday for the fourth major wave of protests in a month over the government’s pension reform and opponents have promised more is to come.
Following general strikes in railways, airports, schools, docks and postal systems, the earliest of which kicked off late Monday, French public transport, especially for core cities such as Paris, was heavily hit.
Half of the flights scheduled to and from the Paris Orly airport and one in three at the Charles de Gaulle and Paris Beauvais airports were cancelled.
The walkout reduced train traffic, with only one in three high-speed TGV trains running.
Although international services operated with higher frequency, the Paris metro had a limited service.
Eight of the country’s 12 refineries joined the protest for the first time amid growing threats of fuel shortages in southeastern France.
Preliminary figures indicated an increase in the numbers taking action in the new mobilization in most French major cities. Unions even vowed rolling strikes to hold back the reform.
Paris police said 65,000 people joined a street protest starting around the noon, more than the 40,000 in a previous demonstration on Sept. 23, but trade unions said the Paris rally attracted 330,000 people.
In the afternoon, many other major cities, such as Marseille, Grenoble, Rennes and Lyon, reported tens of thousands of protesters on the streets, with many estimating the numbers were up on the September protests.
The country’s labor unions expected 244 protests across the country. The Interior Ministry said 500,000 protestors took part in the strike at the noon.
The Senate even suspended its review of the pension reform bill for a while in the afternoon as some left-wing senators took part in the demonstration, according to local media.
French landmark the Eiffel Tower was reported closed to the public in the afternoon due to a strike by staff.
“The participation is increasing. This demonstration is exceptional compared to other days of strikes,” Bernard Thibault, head of CGT trade union, told local RTL radio.
Despite the pressure, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon ruled out any new concessions and criticized the opposition as “irresponsible” for involving high school students in the demonstration.
According to the Education Ministry, some 360 French high schools stopped teaching due to the strike, while 22 percent of teachers joined the Tuesday walkout. Youngsters were observed among street protestors.
“We know that this reform wouldn’t be easily accepted by the citizens. We listen and we understand their concerns,” Fillon told senators, but stressing the government had gone as far as it could in amending the bill.
A CSA survey issued Monday showed that 69 percent of the French people backed the strike, with 61 percent in favor of more open-ended industrial actions.
Trade unions announced another strike for Saturday.
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