France News --- Strikes over retirement.

Strikes in France over retirement age to hit schools and transport

Thursday, September 23, 2010

RUADHÁN MacCORMAIC in Paris

===============================================================================================FRENCH TRANSPORT, schools and public services will be severely disrupted today as unions hold further strikes and protests over plans to raise the retirement age.RUADHÁN MacCORMAIC in Paris

Encouraged by a turnout they estimated at over two million people at nationwide marches two weeks ago, seven unions have called a new 24-hour strike to raise the pressure on President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government.

Its pension Bill, approved last week by members of the lower house, envisages raising the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 by 2018.

The government says that without major changes the pensions system would run up annual deficits of €50 billion by 2020. It points to France’s lengthening life expectancy and insists investors need to be reassured that France is seeking to cut its budget deficit.

Any change to the retirement age is being resisted by the opposition, which considers the right to retire at 60 as one of the major achievements of the late socialist president François Mitterrand. He cut it from 65 in 1982.

Speaking yesterday, socialist leader Martine Aubry insisted that, despite the government’s determination to proceed, she was not willing to concede the principle of retirement at 60.

“We’ll be there until the last day, with our parliamentarians, on the street,” she said. “We’re told: it does no good, retirement at 60 is dead. It’s not dead.”

Saluting the “exemplary unity” of the unions, Ms Aubry said her party would continue to fight against the government’s plans when the debate on the Bill begins next month in the senate, where the ruling UMP and its allies have a slimmer majority.

Today’s strikes will hit flights in and out of French airports, with the civil aviation authority having asked all airlines to cut Paris flights by up to 50 per cent – twice as many as were hit in the previous protest.

Some schools are expected to close, while Paris metro services are forecast to fall to about half of normal frequency. The SNCF state railway company said intercity and local train services would be cut by 50 per cent.

The government will closely monitor the turnout at today’s protests for signs of any weakening of resolve among union members over the past fortnight.

“This day has to be strong enough – around two million demonstrators – to get the government to make new concessions. I am confident,” said François Chérèque, head of the CFDT union.

Bernard Thibault, head of the powerful CGT union, said he and his counterparts would meet tomorrow to discuss their next move, but warned more demonstrations would take place.

The government made minor concessions after the last wave of protests, and senators have indicated this week that further limited changes are possible, including allowing slightly earlier retirement for women who regularly interrupted their careers to give birth.

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