French President Emmanuel Macron will not drop his plan for a single points-based pension system, but is “willing to improve” it in the face of fierce union resistance, an official in the presidency said Wednesday.
“The president will not abandon the project nor water it down, though he is willing to improve it,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official added: “An improvement is possible concerning the pivot age” of 64 at which a worker would qualify for a full pension—a particular target of union ire that has sparked two weeks of massive public transport strikes.
Macron hoped talks with union leaders will allow “a pause” in the strike so people can travel for the holidays, the official added.
Electricity cuts
Macron’s comments came ahead of a meeting between the government and unions Wednesday afternoon, and amid reactions to intentional power cuts by some union workers Tuesday.
The hardline CGT union claimed it had cut electricity to tens of thousands of homes in the Gironde department in the southwest and the cities of Lyon, Nantes and Orleans on Tuesday, and about 2,000 households in Paris. And it has warned of further cuts.
Ecology Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned Wednesday what she described as “reprehensible” electricity cuts and road blockades, saying five clinics and a fire station were left without power in Lyon on Tuesday.
Those responsible “will obviously be prosecuted,” she said.
Asked on French radio whether the illegal power cuts weren't a step too far, Philippe Martinez, the head of the hardline CGT union, said the cuts were necessary to force Macron to back down.
“I understand these workers’ anger,” the union leader said. “These are targeted cuts. You'll understand that spitting on the public service can make some of us angry.”
Martinez told BFMTV that there may have been “involuntary cuts in some places” but that the main targets were major corporations listed on the CAC 40 stock index.
“In no case are citizens being targeted,” Martinez said.
Public support for strike holds amid chaos
About 62 percent of respondents to an opinion poll published Tuesday by the broadcaster RTL said they support the strike but 69 percent said they wanted a Christmas “truce”.
Businesses are already feeling the impact, with industry associations reporting turnover losses of 30 to 60 percent from a year earlier, in a period that is usually the busiest of the year.
At a meeting late Tuesday, four unions including the CGT decided to continue their action, which has wreaked havoc on public transport in Paris and other cities, hobbled regional and international trains, and grounded planes on some strike days.
The unions urged their members to take “local actions” throughout the Christmas holidays, and vowed there would be no letup unless the reform plan is withdrawn.
Agencies
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.