Paris and other cities in France will become this Saturday, for the seventh time in less than two months, the scene of marches against the Government’s pension reform, determined to move forward in the Senate a text that, they argue from the Elysee, supported by the majority of the population.
The Government’s plan, which is in the middle of the parliamentary process, proposes raising the official retirement age from 62 to 64, extending the number of years of contribution required to receive the maximum pension and eliminating the specific regimes that currently exist for certain sectors.
This Saturday’s mobilization is the second this month, after the one on the 7th, and follows two other protests in January and three in February. Given the inter-union nature of the protests, the police anticipate a smaller turnout than on other occasions precisely because it is not a working day, but certain sectors, including the transport sector, will be affected.
The earliest demonstration will be in Strasbourg, with a scheduled start time of 10.30 a.m., two and a half hours earlier than the other rallies.
Thus, in Paris, the march will start at 14.00 from the Place de la République via Beaumarchais, Daumesnil and Diderot before arriving at the Place de la Nation.
At the same time, mobilizations are also expected to start in Marseille, Orleans, Montpellier, Lille and Bordeaux, according to the schedule of marches published by the newspaper ‘Le Figaro’.
Last month, the spokesman of the French Executive, Olivier Véran, assured that opinion polls show that »a great majority of the French consider that a reform is necessary» and estimated that »a part of the French is still mobilized because it does not want (…) to work little by little longer».
He also pointed out that without any kind of reform it is impossible to achieve »a balanced budget in 2030», which is rejected by the citizens of France.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
