SharePARIS: Fuel deliveries and public transport were severely disrupted in France on Tuesday as unions kicked off a fresh day of protest against a pensions reform that would push back the retirement age for millions. Unions have vowed to bring the country to a standstill with strikes over the proposed changes, which include raising the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62 and increasing the number of years people have to make contributions for a full pension.
"We mustn't give up, it's possible to make the government withdraw on 64 years," CFDT union chief Laurent Berger told broadcaster LCI, forecasting "more people" on the streets and warning of future actions if workers' demands were not heard. President Emmanuel Macron put the pensions plan at the centre of his re-election campaign last year, and his cabinet says the changes are essential to prevent the system from falling into deficit in coming years.
But they face fierce resistance from both parliament and the street, with almost two in three people across the country supporting protests against it, according to a poll by the Elabe survey group published Monday. Ali Toure, a 28-year-old construction worker, on Tuesday morning was waiting for a delayed train north of Paris, but said it was "no big deal" if he arrived late to work for a month.
"They're right to be striking. Manual labor is hard," he said. Former left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon said "the president would be wrong to count on (resistance) wearing out, on people getting exhausted".
"The French people deserve better," he told Le Parisien daily. The hard-line CGT union said fuel deliveries from refineries across France had been blocked from Tuesday morning, which could see petrol stations running short if the protests continue.
Meanwhile, mass protests in France spilled over to disrupt cross-Channel transport in Britain on Tuesday. Dozens of flights and trains were cancelled and ferries delayed as French workers rallied against government pension reforms. Air traffic controllers and rail staff in France were among those to walk out. Budget carrier EasyJet axed at least 18 flights between Britain and France while British Airways cancelled at least 13, impacting passengers departing from hubs including Heathrow and Gatwick airports near London. Air France withdrew four flights from service between Heathrow and Paris. Eurostar, which runs the cross-Channel rail service, cancelled 16 of 26 trains scheduled between London and Paris, and a further six between the British capital and Brussels.
The company warned the fallout from the protests "could extend beyond" Tuesday. Ferry passengers travelling between Dover and Calais were told to expect disruption, with sailings delayed by up to 65 minutes. P&O Ferries advised passengers to travel on another date.
More than a million expected
Unions have warned of rolling strikes on public transport that could paralyze parts of the country for weeks on end. Police expect 1.1 million to 1.4 million people to hit the streets Tuesday in more than 260 locations nationwide, a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The upper limit of that range would mean stronger opposition than during the five previous days of rallies that have taken place since mid-January. On the unions' side, Frederic Souillot, leader of hard-left union Force Ouvriere, told RTL radio he expected more than two million people to march.
The biggest day of demonstrations so far brought 1.27 million people to the street on January 31, according to official figures. In the lead-up to Tuesday, unions had promised to bring the country "to a standstill". Only one in five regional and high-speed trains were expected to run, while a leading trade unionist representing refinery workers has vowed to bring the French economy "to its knees".
School teachers are also to stage walkouts. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told French television Monday that while she respected the right to protest, a nationwide standstill would primarily penalise "the most fragile" among the population. - AFP
