This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
December 18, 2019
As the standoff between the French government and unions over pension reform continues, both sides remain resolute ahead of crucial talks.
Union leaders have pledged to maintain their strike action into the new year, while the government insists its plan to merge the country's 42 pension schemes into a single, points-based system is fairer and more transparent.
The hardline CGT union claimed to have cut electricity to tens of thousands of homes in the Gironde department and several cities, including Lyon, Nantes, and Orleans, on Tuesday.
At a meeting late Tuesday, four unions, including the CGT, decided to continue their action, which has severely disrupted public transport in Paris and other cities, hindered regional and international trains, and grounded planes on some strike days.
The unions have urged their members to take 'local actions' throughout the Christmas holidays and vowed there would be no letup unless the reform plan is withdrawn.
Critics argue that the overhaul could force millions of people to work beyond the official retirement age of 62 by setting a 'pivot age' of 64 for a full pension.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told parliament on the eve of Wednesday's talks, 'My determination, and that of the government and the majority, is total.'
President Emmanuel Macron has named a new pensions chief, Laurent Pietraszewski, to lead fresh talks with the unions, following the resignation of his predecessor due to undeclared income.
Over 615,000 people participated in more than 100 rallies countrywide on Tuesday, according to the interior ministry, with the CGT estimating the figure to be three times that number.
Police fired tear gas in Paris after protesters hurled projectiles, and arrested 30 people in the French capital, where some 76,000 turned out for the third major march since the strike began on December 5.
Ecology Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the 'reprehensible' electricity cuts and road blockades, stating that five clinics and a fire station were left without power in Lyon on Tuesday.
Strike organisers are hoping for a repeat of 1995, when the government backed down on pension reform after three weeks of metro and rail stoppages just before Christmas.
Commuters in Paris and other big cities have borne the brunt of the transport stoppages so far, but holiday travel plans are now at risk.
National rail operator SNCF has assured a seat for each passenger who bought a holiday ticket on high-speed TGV trains for the coming weekend, although many will face time and date changes, and disruptions are still expected on regional lines.
The Eurostar and Thalys international trains have also seen their services slashed.
In Paris, only half of the 16 metro lines were running Wednesday, with most of the rest offering limited services.
A poll for the RTL broadcaster found that 62 percent of respondents support the strike, but 69 percent want 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.
The strike is costing the economy about 400 million euros ($445 million) a day, according to a calculation by the CPME confederation of small and midsize enterprises.
