In Paris: “Our contributions, are we going to benefit from them? asks a protester
Avenue des Gobelins in Paris, where the demonstrators gathered before the departure of the procession, Benoît Fossoux already has a few kilometers in his legs. This head of rank in a Parisian palace goes to work on foot from his home in Vitry, transport strike obliges – an hour and forty journey -, and will be part of the demonstration before taking up his post, from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. morning.
A difficult job, he knows what it is: staggered hours, carrying loads, dotted family life and “compulsory conversion”, is already considering the 36-year-old. So, from his point of view, the special regimes that the government wants to abolish “have a purpose”. As for the postponement of the legal retirement age, he wonders: “Our contributions, are we going to benefit from them? »
This father of a 4-year-old child supports the demonstration but is worried about the image that a real blockage of the economy, which some unions are calling for, would give the movement: “People will talk about hostage taking, whereas the hostage taking in question is not carried out by those who are fighting for their rights. »
“There is money flowing in abundance”, he argues, referring to the almost inconceivable gap between the salary of a minimum wage and the fortune of a billionaire. He does not think it necessary to change the pension scheme, and regrets that governments are undertaking “reform on reform to exist”. His conclusion: “If we don’t work today, it’s a clear message to the government: you can continue to break everything. »
At his side, Romain Lefèvre, 35, is a professor of medico-social sciences and techniques, and prepares students for the professional baccalaureate as a specialized educator. ‘Less politicized’ than his comrade, he deplores as much as him that the executive does not do more for precarious and physical jobs. He also considers the reform unfair to women whose careers are often chopped or marked by part-time work. Himself, who made “stay-at-home dad” for seven months, knows it’s hard work.
