“Harder, more numerous, more massive, and renewable”, this is how Philippe Martinez would like to see the next strikes against the pension reform. At the launch of the demonstration in Paris, the secretary general of the CGT, called for the movement to harden if “the government persists in not listening”.
“Inevitably we will have to go up a notch,” he told the press, also showing himself optimistic about the participation in the third day of strikes and demonstrations at the call of the unions, with figures showing ” that we are at the level of 19, if not more”. “The people, when they are so angry, it is worth listening to them and not insisting on an unjust and unjustified reform,” he said.
At his side, Laurent Berger (CFDT) judged that it would be “democratic madness to remain deaf” to the challenge of the reform. Asked about the fact of hardening the mobilization, he explained that the unions will try to “do stronger next Saturday”.
Take it up a notch
“But harder, what does that mean? What is the democratic perspective of a country whose leaders would not listen to the biggest social mobilization of the last thirty years? (…) we will not fall into that, we want to show a dignified world of work. Those who are protesting today are the normal working world, they are reasonable people,” he replied. Laurent Berger again called on the Assembly to debate on Article 7 which provides for the postponement of the legal retirement age to 64, judging that “it would be madness” otherwise.
“Saturday we may decide to go up a notch with renewable strikes and blockages”, however affirmed alongside him the president of the CFTC union Cyril Chabanier, also “reformist”. He reported an estimated 15% drop in the number of protesters, stressing that “it’s not a huge drop considering that some people are saving up for Saturday”.
For Benoît Teste (FSU), “going up a notch, it will be from March 6, after the (school) holidays”. “Until then we must maintain a high level of mobilization”, he said, while Frédéric Souillot (FO) welcomed an inter-union “united for a long time”.