France: Wave of strikes hits electricity supplies and transport links
Euronews
Tue, 31 January 2023 at 1:32 am GMT-7
A new wave of strikes on Tuesday to protest French government plans to raise the retirement age to 64 has already impacted transport links and electricity production.
TotalEnegies says between 75% and 100% of workers at its refineries and fuel depots are on strike, while electricity supplier EDF said they're monitoring a drop in power to the national grid equivalent to three nuclear power plants.
"Following the call for a strike, shipments of products from TotalEnergies sites are interrupted today but TotalEnergies will continue to ensure supplies to its service station network and its customers," the group's management said.
In EDF power stations, strikers reduced loads by "nearly 3,000 MW" on Monday night, but without causing any cuts, the company said.
Hundreds of thousands of workers are expected to take to the streets across France on Tuesday, for a second day of industrial action that unions hope will be even more massive than the first, earlier this month.
Authorities say some 1.12 million protesters turned out on 19 January, while unions say more than two million people took part in demonstrations at that time.
Deserted platforms are pictured at the Montparnasse train station Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 in Paris. - Michel Euler/AP
Transport network hit by strike action
The government had warned in advance of Tuesday's strike about likely disruption to France's transport network.
In the Paris region the metro and local rail services are "very disrupted" say officials. Long distance TGV train services are also impacted, as are regional trains with intercity services almost at a standstill.
Rail operator SNCF said only one in three high-speed TGV trains will operate on Tuesday while disruptions are also expected at French airports and on transnational rail services.
However in Lyon there were at least some bus and tram services running Tuesday morning, and there was a noticeable increase in the numbers of cars on the road as commuters made alternative plans to get to work.
At Bobigny bus station in Paris, pensioner Marie-Hélène Plautin left an hour and a half early for her medical appointment, a journey that normally only takes half an hour by tram.
"I have an appointment with a doctor for the first time in Saint-Denis. Since I know that this strike is going to take place, I wonder if I will be able to go," she said Tuesday morning.
In Bordeaux, Josselin and Alicia Frigier, 40, have just returned from Madrid and after spending several hours on the bus, their train to La Rochelle has been cancelled.
"Instead, they were offered a one-hour train ride and a three-hour bus ride," said Alicia, while her husband conceded that the strike "is surely for a good reason."
Pension reform in France: Which countries have the lowest and highest retirement ages in Europe?
What to know about France's nationwide strike over pension reform
Which countries have the most strikes in Europe and what is the impact on the economy?
Euronews
Tue, 31 January 2023 at 1:32 am GMT-7
A new wave of strikes on Tuesday to protest French government plans to raise the retirement age to 64 has already impacted transport links and electricity production.
TotalEnegies says between 75% and 100% of workers at its refineries and fuel depots are on strike, while electricity supplier EDF said they're monitoring a drop in power to the national grid equivalent to three nuclear power plants.
"Following the call for a strike, shipments of products from TotalEnergies sites are interrupted today but TotalEnergies will continue to ensure supplies to its service station network and its customers," the group's management said.
In EDF power stations, strikers reduced loads by "nearly 3,000 MW" on Monday night, but without causing any cuts, the company said.
Hundreds of thousands of workers are expected to take to the streets across France on Tuesday, for a second day of industrial action that unions hope will be even more massive than the first, earlier this month.
Authorities say some 1.12 million protesters turned out on 19 January, while unions say more than two million people took part in demonstrations at that time.
Deserted platforms are pictured at the Montparnasse train station Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 in Paris. - Michel Euler/AP
Transport network hit by strike action
The government had warned in advance of Tuesday's strike about likely disruption to France's transport network.
In the Paris region the metro and local rail services are "very disrupted" say officials. Long distance TGV train services are also impacted, as are regional trains with intercity services almost at a standstill.
Rail operator SNCF said only one in three high-speed TGV trains will operate on Tuesday while disruptions are also expected at French airports and on transnational rail services.
However in Lyon there were at least some bus and tram services running Tuesday morning, and there was a noticeable increase in the numbers of cars on the road as commuters made alternative plans to get to work.
At Bobigny bus station in Paris, pensioner Marie-Hélène Plautin left an hour and a half early for her medical appointment, a journey that normally only takes half an hour by tram.
"I have an appointment with a doctor for the first time in Saint-Denis. Since I know that this strike is going to take place, I wonder if I will be able to go," she said Tuesday morning.
In Bordeaux, Josselin and Alicia Frigier, 40, have just returned from Madrid and after spending several hours on the bus, their train to La Rochelle has been cancelled.
"Instead, they were offered a one-hour train ride and a three-hour bus ride," said Alicia, while her husband conceded that the strike "is surely for a good reason."
Pension reform in France: Which countries have the lowest and highest retirement ages in Europe?
What to know about France's nationwide strike over pension reform
Which countries have the most strikes in Europe and what is the impact on the economy?
Mass demonstrations start on Tuesday morning
Protest marches are expected to begin at 10:00 CET with union leaders expecting "largely as many people" as in January. "At least I hope so," said Laurent Berger, the Secretary General of the CFDT union on Monday.
At the heart of their grievances is a plan by Emmanuel Macron's government to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, with a new law to enter into force in September 2023.
In order to receive a full pension, the government's proposal says it will be necessary to work for at least 43 years. By age 67, workers who haven't been active that long will still receive a full pension.
Those who started to work earlier will be able to retire earlier, while disabled workers will be able to retire early. Injured workers will also be allowed to retire early, the proposal says.
The current special retirement plans for some public workers will no longer be applicable for new recruits but the new proposal would raise the minimum pension by €100 per month.
France's trade unions and left-wing parties say that the proposed changes are not needed in order to fund France's pension system. Some have argued instead for higher employee and employer contributions and a crackdown on tax evasion.
They claim that the plan will penalise those who are most vulnerable and increase inequalities.
Protest marches are expected to begin at 10:00 CET with union leaders expecting "largely as many people" as in January. "At least I hope so," said Laurent Berger, the Secretary General of the CFDT union on Monday.
At the heart of their grievances is a plan by Emmanuel Macron's government to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, with a new law to enter into force in September 2023.
In order to receive a full pension, the government's proposal says it will be necessary to work for at least 43 years. By age 67, workers who haven't been active that long will still receive a full pension.
Those who started to work earlier will be able to retire earlier, while disabled workers will be able to retire early. Injured workers will also be allowed to retire early, the proposal says.
The current special retirement plans for some public workers will no longer be applicable for new recruits but the new proposal would raise the minimum pension by €100 per month.
France's trade unions and left-wing parties say that the proposed changes are not needed in order to fund France's pension system. Some have argued instead for higher employee and employer contributions and a crackdown on tax evasion.
They claim that the plan will penalise those who are most vulnerable and increase inequalities.
Mon, January 30, 2023
PARIS (AP) — France's national rail operator is recommending that passengers stay home Tuesday to avoid strikes over pensions that are expected to cause major transport woes but largely spare high-speed links to Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Labor unions that mobilized massive street protests in an initial salvo of nationwide strikes earlier this month are hoping for similar success Tuesday to maintain pressure on government plans to raise France's retirement age.
Positions are hardening on both sides as lawmakers begin debating the planned change. France's prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, insisted this weekend that her government's intention to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is “no longer negotiable." Opponents in parliament and labor leaders are determined to prove her wrong.
Rail operator SNCF warned that major network disruptions were expected from Monday night to Wednesday morning, recommending that passengers cancel or postpone trips and work remotely if possible.
Rail services in the Paris region and regional trains across the country are expected to be severely affected, setting up a potential nightmare day for commuters.
Severe disruptions also are expected on France's flagship network of high-speed trains serving cities and major towns, including the Lyria service that links France and Switzerland, the SNCF said.
But it said high-speed Eurostar links with Britain and the Thalys services between France, Belgium and the Netherlands should run largely as normal.
Raising the pension age is one part of a broad bill that is the flagship measure of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term. The bill is meeting widespread popular resistance — more than 1 million people marched in protests against it earlier this month.
Lawmaker Manuel Bompard, whose France Unbowed party is leading the parliamentary push against Macron's plans, called for “the biggest possible” turnout Tuesday in strikes and protests.
The government says its proposals are necessary to keep the pension system solvent as France’s life expectancy has grown and birth rates have declined.
Unions and left-wing parties want big companies or wealthier households to pitch in more to balance the pension budget instead.
The bill was going to a parliamentary commission Monday ahead of full debate in the National Assembly on Feb. 6. Opponents have submitted 7,000 proposed amendments that will further complicate the bill's legislative passage.
The Associated Press
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