Finance
According to the French Interior Ministry, over one million people participated in nationwide protests against the government’s proposed pension reform bill, which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
However, France’s largest union, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) said on Thursday that nearly 3.5 million people had taken part in the demonstration nationwide.
The events on Thursday marked the ninth nationwide general mobilization action since French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne triggered a constitutional article last week that allowed the government to force the passage of the pension reform bill.
Fearing a wave of violent actions, the Interior Ministry on Thursday ordered deployment of 12,000 policemen across the country, including 5,000 in Paris, Xinhua news agency reported.
While the majority of the protests were peaceful, calls from union leaders for nonviolent protests were ignored by a number of demonstrators across the country who clashed with police forces, injuring at least 123 members of the security forces, according to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
The French police eventually used tear gas and police dogs to disperse the protestors.
The Prime Minister condemned the “unacceptable” violence that accompanied the pension reform protests on social media.
Due to the strikes, many historic monuments, including the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Towel., were forced to close on Thursday.
A dinner between French President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III of the United Kingdom was planned for the Palace of Versailles during the latter’s upcoming state visit, but the French presidential office said the location would be changed due to security concerns.
The French national railway company SNCF and the country’s aviation authorities have already announced the extension of Thursday’s strike, which means the railway and air traffic will stay disrupted.
The sanitation workers in Paris have extended their strike until March 27, while nearly 9,500 tons of garbage are still waiting to be collected in the city.
And the trade unions have already scheduled the 10th general mobilisation action for March 28.
Because two no-confidence motions against the French government failed to gain a majority in the National Assembly on Monday, the government’s unpopular pension reform bill is regarded as having been passed without a vote in the lower house of parliament.
Macron stated on Wednesday that his government’s pension reform plan will be enacted “before the end of the year.”
The legal retirement age would be gradually raised from 62 to 64 by 2030 under the reform plan, and a guaranteed minimum pension would be implemented. In addition, by 2027, at least 43 years of work would be required to be eligible for a full pension.
Source:IANS
