Marches against pension reforms

STREET marches in at least 229 French towns are planned on Saturday against the government’s pension reforms.

The marches are intended to voice protest before the law raising the retirement age goes to a vote in the Senate on Tuesday.

Public transport unions are not taking part this time, however a spokesman for Paris Charles de Gaulle airport said some air traffic controllers may take part and there could be disrupted flights. Strikes taking part among port workers are mainly expected to affect freight.

The pension law has already been passed by the National Assembly and is expected to be finalised by the end of the month.

The unions hope a Saturday date will help more supporters to take part (strikers are not paid for the time they take off work).

It is not expected that there will be any widespread disruption due to strikes. Unions say there will be another day of action on Tuesday October 12, “if there is no progress”.

The plans going through parliament include raising the age to take a state pension from 60 to 62. President Sarkozy defended them this week, saying they would enable the pension service to cut its deficit and be in the black by 2018.

The eight largest unions are representing a united front on the pensions issue and they hope they will be joined by many other organisations tomorrow, including unions and political groups representing university students and lycéens. They also hope more employees of small and medium-sized firms will take part on a Saturday.

The head of one of the leading unions CFDT, François Chérèque said the government is wrong to ignore such “immense protests” as that of September 23, which mobilised between one and three million across France depending on whether the figures are taken from the government or the unions.

Photo: Tendencies