Faced with the rise in the cost of living, the inter-union called for the “reindexing of pensions on the evolution of wages”.
Demonstrations were underway in several cities in France this afternoon as a large union of pensioners’ unions called for a national mobilization for purchasing power and the rights of pensioners this Thursday, March 24. Gatherings are taking place or are expected in around twenty French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux. The inter-union group calling for mobilization includes nine members: the CGT, the Confederal Union of FO retirees, the CFTC, the CFE-CGC, FSU, Solidaires, Retired civil servants, LSR and Ensemble & Solidaires.
Read alsoUnions struggle to mobilize on wages
The inter-union calls for the indexation of pensions on wages
Union representatives are warning about price inflation which is causing a rise in the cost of living for retirees and are calling for an increase in their purchasing power. “We don’t want a bonus, but a real increase in retirement pensions”, said Marc Bastide, general secretary of the UCR-CGT, earlier this week. The revaluation of pensions on 1er January 2022 did not satisfy union representatives. “Pensions increased at the start of the year by 1.1%, while inflation is at 4%“, notes Marylène Cahouet, head of the retired section of the FSU, at the head of the Parisian procession this Thursday. “We calculated. It is estimated that the equivalent of a month’s pension has been lost under Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term“says the one who is also a retired literature teacher. The intersyndicale thus claims in its press releases the “reindexing of pensions on the evolution of wages” and one “catch-upof the pension freeze.
A former railway worker who came from Essonne to demonstrate in Paris this Thursday is indignant: “In the twelve years that I have been retired, I must have earned 20 euros on my pension. Concretely, it forces us to be careful, like the smicards“. In the procession, the question of purchasing power is on everyone’s lips. “We have the right to want to go to the cinema or buy a book“says Aline, a retired psychologist who came to walk under the banner of Solidaires.
Read alsoPension reform: unions opposed to raising the legal retirement age
Strengthen public services
The unions also denounce a cost of health that is too high for a number of retirees and claim that their autonomy will be covered by Medicare. They also call for the strengthening of public services, particularly in rural areas. “Older people find it increasingly difficult to find doctors“, deplores Marylène Cahouet, who also asks “stopping the excessive digitization of procedures”, which according to her hinders access to services for populations who have the least mastery of digital tools.
Rallies and public meetings have been recorded since Thursday morning in several cities including Lyon, Lille, Limoges, Périgueux and Caen. The Parisian procession left at 2 p.m. from Place de la Bastille to head for Place de la République.
SEE ALSO -Pension reform: Emmanuel Macron confirms his desire to push back the retirement age to 65