French unions yesterday considered it a provocation and a new gesture of "contempt" towards them that President Emmanuel Macron promulgated very quickly, in the early hours, the new law on the two-year delay in the legal retirement age. The head of state ignored the union call to delay the signing of the law and to open a new dialogue on pension reform.
A few hours passed since the Constitutional Council validated the reform and rejected the possibility of collecting signatures for a referendum. Macron had two weeks to complete the procedure, but opted for maximum speed.
The tenant of the Elysée is determined to turn a page as soon as possible from the worst political and social crisis since he came to power in May 2017. The president thought it was best to burn stages, promulgate the law quickly and not give any room for a rethink, even if the cost in terms of popular discontent is high and public order is compromised.
"We want to move forward calmly with the French", declared the Government spokesman, Olivier Véran, in an interview with TF1 news. Véran confirmed that the law will enter into force on the first of October. The spokesman announced a televised speech by the president on Monday night to explain himself to the country and try to calm spirits. It is likely that he will once again justify his firmness in the fact that pension reform was included in his election platform, and that he will reach out to the unions to talk about issues such as working conditions, youth employment and other subjects on which he wants to legislate in the coming months.
The union reaction to the nightly signing of the law was not long in coming. The leaders of the two largest organizations, the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT) and the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) agreed to reproach Macron with "contempt". The new secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, described his attitude as "totally shameful". "Macron closes the door in our face once again and confirms the very disturbing radicalization of power", said the union leader. Laurent Berger, from the CFDT, stressed that "from the beginning, the contempt for the workers will have been constant, but their dignity on the street is stronger".
The unions know they have lost the legal game, unless the Constitutional Council decides to accept a second referendum request. The decision on this appeal will come on May 3. However, the fight will continue, at least until the May Day holiday. They want this year to become a massive no to pension reform, a rallying cry in the streets. The railway workers' inter-union has called a "cholera day" next Thursday, April 20, as an appetizer on the occasion of the Labor Day mobilization.
Spontaneous protests, which almost always lead to riots, have taken place in several cities since the decision of the Constitutional Council was announced at 6 pm on Friday. That same night there were incidents in Paris, Lyon, Nantes and Rennes. In the latter city, capital of Brittany, demonstrators burned the door of a police station and an old convent on Friday night. Yesterday afternoon there were problems again. Due to the particularly explosive situation in Rennes, the Ministry of the Interior sent police reinforcements there.
The editorials of the press echoed unanimously, although with different nuances, of the delicate moment that France is going through. The conservative newspaper Le Figaro spoke of a "collective breakdown" and lamented the image of an ungovernable country. The rotary Libération, historic spokesman for left-wing progressivism, described the verdict of the Constitutional Court as a "brutal decision", not only because of its content, but because of its form. According to the newspaper, the opinion was written "in a bureaucratic way, devoid of style and nuance". Le Monde warned that the climate that is being created only favors the extreme right, as the polls show. "The President of the Republic cannot fail to see that the reform he wants to impose provides powerful fuel to Marine Le Pen", wrote the Paris evening newspaper, adding that "the cost of the pension reform seems exorbitant" and that it "contributes to undermining a little more the morale of a country that no longer manages to value its successes".
