TESTIMONIALS – A certain amount of anticipation and adaptation is necessary, while the mobilization against the pension reform will greatly disrupt the daily life of the French on Thursday.
“It’s going to be complicated“, points out Jordan, graphic designer of 34 years. This father of a 20-month-old child, whose nursery will be partially closed this Thursday on the occasion of the mobilization against the pension reform, will work from home to be able to take care of his child. “I’ll let my management know today. I think a lot of us are going to do that. But concretely, having to take care of my son, I won’t really be able to work“, he acknowledges.
Like Jordan, in the face of the major disruptions anticipated in schools and nurseries linked to the social movement against the government’s reform plan, families have no choice but to adapt. Even if it means having to work despite everything, in delicate conditions, juggling with her little ones. Chloé, mother of two children aged 5 and 9 and teacher in higher education, will thus use her authorized teleworking day per week. “It will remind us of the period of confinement when we worked from home with the children. But honestly, if you don’t want to put them all day in front of the television, you have to spend time with them and it’s complicated to work. In addition, I will pick up the son of a friend in the afternoon because she has important meetings to carry out by videoconference.“, sighs this 41-year-old Parisian.
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Despite their difficulties, Jordan and Chloé are still among the lucky ones who will be able to use telework, a mode of organization that is not accessible to all professions, which makes tomorrow’s day even more difficult to grasp for some. Self-employed lawyer and mother of an 18-month-old baby whose nursery will be closed this Thursday, Caroline had to cancel all of her appointments for the day and ask for hearing referrals to stay at home. “I can potentially lose customers. I can’t do my job from home. It’s very annoying“, she laments.
Same observation for Guy, who must adapt in anticipation of a black Thursday in transport. “I’m going to have to sleep with friends tonight who live in Paris, otherwise I would have had to leave three hours early to get to work on time.“Explains the bartender in the center of the capital, who lives in Seine-Saint-Denis. Jordan’s wife, meanwhile, will have to cycle forty minutes to get to her place of work. A sports session which she would have done well without.
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It is therefore better to organize in advance to avoid logistical problems, this Thursday. Gwendal Cosson, communications consultant in Nantes, has thus revised his plans to go to Angers for the day. “I had to take the train but I’m going to go by car because I can’t take the risk of being late for this professional meeting. The trip will cost me more by taking the car and it’s more restrictive but I don’t really have a choice“, he grumbles. For its part, the executive continues to call on opponents of the “responsibility“: “Let’s hope this popular expression doesn’t turn into a blockage“, declared the spokesman of the government, Olivier Véran, this Wednesday.
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