French general strike fails as cabinet adopts pension reform
Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Paris
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Paris in a last-minute attempt to force President Emmanuel Macron to drop his deeply unpopular junking of a cherished and often centuries-old pension system.
Macron’s plan to introduce a radical and unprecedented universal pension scheme provoked the longest labor movement in French history and is still opposed by 70% of France.
But the bill has just been approved by Macron’s cabinet, and now heads to months of debate in a Parliament dominated by Macron, meaning the strike has failed.
Many are being highly critical of the leadership of France’s unions, who put the burden almost entirely on rail workers. Many of them struck for more than seven consecutive weeks, but this is only the 7th day of nationwide strikes and protests.
The only group which may be partially pleased are the Yellow Vests. They refused to allow unions to join them because they viewed unions as part of an inept and corrupt mainstream political system which have repeatedly failed to protect the welfare of the people.
Unions have said that they will continue to protest against the pension overhaul, but in smaller, more sporadic displays of opposition.
The sacrifice of rail workers, and the enormous public support for the strikers and against the pension junking appear to have gone for naught. However, what may most be remembered is the French government’s willful refusal to heed public opinion once again in Europe’s ongoing Age of Austerity.
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