Less than a month before the presidential election, thousands of people will march throughout France this Thursday, March 17 to demand an increase in wages and pensions, galvanized hope the unions by the government’s promise to raise the remuneration of civil servants.
“More than 150 assembly points” are planned according to the CGT, at the call of an inter-union CGT, FSU, Solidaires, Unsa and several high school organizations. In Paris, the procession will leave at 2 p.m. from Place de la République, direction Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette. At the same time, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, candidate for his succession, will present his program to the press in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis).
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Few disruptions are expected in transport, except in the east of France where only one out of two TGVs will run to Strasbourg, Reims and Metz/Nancy. The RATP reserves its forces for a one-day strike on March 25.
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The previous day of interprofessional mobilization, on January 27, had brought together 89,000 demonstrators in France according to the authorities, more than 150,000 according to the organizers. This time, the ranks could be less provided.
“Keeping the social agenda current”
The war in Ukraine weighs on people’s minds and “flattens the debate”, as noted by Simon Duteil, co-delegate of Solidaires. Corn “This in no way erases the difficulties we encounter on a daily basis, with increasingly low purchasing power in the face of inflation”tempers Céline Verzeletti, CGT confederal leader.
Inflation, measured by INSEE at 3.6% over one year in February, could accelerate further due to the conflict. “It is our responsibility to keep the social agenda in the news”affirms for his part the secretary general of Unsa, Laurent Escure. “Our democracies must not be anesthetized. They must continue to function, including in the social field”he pleads.
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Absent during the previous demonstrations in January and October, the Union joined the intersyndicale with a slogan that it hopes will mobilize: “Salary emergencies! Do 17 (March) ».
At least “around 4%”
Far from demobilizing the employees, the promise of an increase in the point of index of the civil servants, Monday, must encourage the demonstrators to “to be even more numerous”according to Céline Verzeletti.
While the government has not yet specified the amount of the increase and returned the measure to a law passed this summer, seven unions called on Tuesday in a statement to a “immediate opening of negotiations” and an application of the measure ” as quickly as possible “. They demand a minimum increase of around 4%.
The unveiling of Emmanuel Macron’s plans for pensions, with a postponement of the legal age to 65 if he is re-elected, could also fuel the anger of the demonstrators, for the day of this Thursday but also that of May 1 , towards which union leaders are already projecting themselves.
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“Around May 1st things will start to accelerate”anticipates Simon Duteil, who predicts that in the event of re-election, Emmanuel Macron will want ” quickly “ pass the reform, taking advantage of the legitimacy conferred by the vote. A demonstration of trade union organizations of retirees is also planned for March 24.
FO absent
This Thursday’s mobilization could suffer from the absence of the Force Ouvrière confederation, which was present on January 27. During a meeting on February 15, the secretary general of the Ile-de-France regional union of FO, Gabriel Gaudy, pointed to the participation in the inter-union of trade union organizations which “have not participated in any action for years and have nothing to do with us” – targeting Unsa – and insufficiently inter-union demands “clear”.
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Pretext, according to a union official speaking on condition of anonymity, which points to difficulties “in-house” related to “war of succession” opened by the decision of Yves Veyrier not to run again at the head of FO. Another union source stresses the customary caution of FO as the elections approach, its concern not to “not seem to play into the hands of an opposition or anything”.
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Candidates Fabien Roussel (PCF), Philippe Poutou (NPA) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) have already announced their participation in the Paris event.
