The French government’s attempt to resume dialogue with the unions and seek a way out of the crisis caused by the pension reform has lasted just under an hour. The time it has taken organizations to get up from the table after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told them that she does not plan to withdraw the controversial law, which aims to delay the retirement age from the current 62 to 64.
It was the first time they had sat down at the dialogue table since this law was approved in January. The unions have described the appointment as a “failure” and accuse the Government of Borne of being inflexible. “We are facing a radicalized, obtuse and disconnected government,” declared Sophie Binet, the new general secretary of the CGT, one of the most combative unions.
“It has been a useless meeting”, he described, to warn that “the government’s strategy is irresponsible”. “You will not be able to govern this country if you do not withdraw the reform,” he added.
The unions have indicated that they will not return to the dialogue table with the Government until it withdraws the reform: “It is the only possible democratic solution,” they have indicated. They have said that they will continue with the mobilizations and have encouraged citizens to massively participate tomorrow, Thursday, in the new day of strikes and protests against the law.
Tomorrow will be key to testing whether the mobilization in the streets keeps Macron’s pulse, but above all it will be crucial on April 14, which will be when the Constitutional Council announces its verdict on the reform. You must decide if you comply with the Constitution. The unions and the opposition denounce that the procedure used to approve it (such as a financial law) is a legal shortcut and invalid.
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