France comes to a standstill as livid workers protest plan to increase retirement age

French unions waged a war against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plans on Tuesday as most trains stopped, fuel deliveries were disrupted and schools closed on the sixth day of a national strike.

To increase pressure on lawmakers not to raise the retirement age by two years to 64, unions said there would be rolling strikes this time, which could last several days, including at oil refineries and rail.

Street protests are expected to take place in more than 300 towns and cities.

“We will continue until the reforms are withdrawn,” the head of the FO union, Frédéric Souillot, told RTL radio.

Garbage collectors and truck drivers are on strike, in a sign protests are spreading to more sectors.

In Paris, waste collectors have begun an open strike, and on Tuesday morning they blocked access to the Ivry-sur-Seine incineration plant, south of the capital, the largest facility in Europe.

“The work of garbage collectors is painful. We usually work early or late … 365 days a year. We usually have to carry heavy weights or stand for hours to sweep,” said Regis Viecili, a 56-year-old garbage collector. workers

“Many waste workers die before retirement age,” Viceli added.

Fuel delivery is blocked

As in previous attacks, power production was reduced, fuel deliveries and refineries were disrupted and many teachers lost their jobs.

Workers disrupted fuel deliveries and refinery operations at several sites operated by TotalEnergies and Esso on Tuesday while electricity supplies were also reduced.

However, a spokesman for Esso, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, said that deliveries had indeed been blocked at the Fos site since Monday afternoon for a period of 48 hours, with no impact on production. Shipments from the Port Jerome site have also been affected since morning, he added.

“Esso is doing everything it can to provide customers and mitigate the consequences of this national movement against pension reform,” a spokesperson said.

A TotalEnergies spokesman said that of the 296 operators on site, 64 per cent were on strike on Tuesday morning.

Rallies are planned across France after more than 1.27 million people took part in protests ahead of January 31.

There were reports of students blocking schools as BFM-TV showed footage of workers abandoning their cars on the side of the road near Amiens in northern France as others blocked access to an industrial zone.

“This reform is unfair,” said Aurelie Herkous, who works in public finance in the Normandy town of Pont Audemer. “Macron is offering a tax gift to companies… he should stop going down at the same time.”

Some travelers affected by the strike said they were supportive even though work was difficult, with high-speed train services limited, almost all regular Intercity trains cancelled, and the Paris metro disrupted.

“It definitely has an impact on me because I have to work like everyone else,” said security guard Alex Cristea at Paris Saint-Lazare train station. “But I support him for what he’s doing … that’s the most important thing.”

Les Republicains to Macron: ‘Wait there’

Opinion polls have shown for weeks that a majority of voters reject the reforms, but the government has stressed the importance of keeping the pension system intact. The government expects the reforms to be adopted by parliament by the end of March.

“I understand that not many people want to work for two more years, but it is necessary to ensure the viability of the system,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told France 5 TV.

While Macron’s camp does not have an absolute majority in parliament, it can count on the support of at least part of the conservative Les Republicains.

“I told Emmanuel Macron to stay,” said LR senator Bruno Retailleau. “If they give up, they won’t be able to do more reforms, that will be the end of it [second] the term.”

However, it is unclear whether the changes will be approved by parliament by the end of the month or whether the government will have to use special constitutional powers.

“We will go into a higher gear,” the head of the CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told the JDD weekly. “The ball is now in the president’s court. It is up to him to cancel this reform.”