Opportunism or real involvement? The motivations of young people demonstrating against pension reform are varied but not necessarily representative.
By Alice Pairo-Vasseur
© LAURE BOYER / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
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“Oyes, the youth have their say! At the dawn of a new day of mobilization against the pension reform, this Tuesday, February 7, Imane Ouelhadj, president of the Unef (National Union of Students of France), assures him: “Retirement is also a a matter of young people, who still want to dream of their future and refuse to live in precariousness until the end of their lives. »
While the latter do not hesitate to invest the processions against the bill, what does this mobilization tell against a reform which concerns them, a priori, little? “Young, old, we are just as much citizens as the others”, sweeps Gwen Thomas-Alves, 17 years old. President of the high school student union Fidl 94 (Independent and Democratic Federation of High School Students), the young man says he is “determined” and wants to believe in a “revolution” of the government. “I don’t want to see my parents working until they’re 64. »
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“Many young people today live in precarious conditions, depend on food distribution, struggle to enter the job market and see, in a context of inflation, their parents not being able to make ends meet” , develops Imane Ouelhadj, for whom the subject “goes beyond” the sole perimeter of young people. A speech shared by a large part of those who tread the pavement this Tuesday. Among which Étienne Matignon, president of Fage (Federation of general student associations): “Because we are not selfish and lonely individuals, we are in solidarity with our elders, parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts. »
A “different company”
For Olivier Galland, sociologist at the CNRS and specialist in youth, this involvement obeys another, broader motivation: “The subject of the postponement – these students will retire at 67 – does not concern them directly. Many are mobilizing, above all, against a model of society, ”he says. Without denying that the reform project could generate real concerns among some of them, the expert also underlines that “the organizations found in these mobilizations remain unrepresentative and obey essentially political objectives”.
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“We are defending another society. To make us work longer, us and our elders, it is not our vision ”, confirms the president of the Fage. For Imane Ouelhadj, the president of Unef, the question is even broader: “There is, for example, a concrete link between work and climate change. Postponing the retirement age means always producing more, without taking into consideration our real needs. The challenge is to combine all of these subjects. “Retirement is the unifying point of many struggles,” summarizes Gwen Thomas-Alves (Fidl 94). And to insist: “The fed up is general! »
A recurring statement that Olivier Galland wishes to moderate: “Beware of the magnifying glass effect”, he warns. “Certainly, part of the youth is prey to pessimism, the same that is currently spreading in the rest of society, but it is not, as a whole, mobilized against this reform. The place of young people during the demonstrations is also quite weak there, even the specialist puts it into perspective. In the same way that we generally think little about death when we are young, the majority of them remain little concerned by a subject that seems distant to them. »
Optimism
“Student precariousness, eco-anxiety, health at work…” Those who take to the streets this Tuesday, February 7 are nonetheless “uplifted”, assures Gwen Thomas-Alves, who however confides: “I remain confident and optimistic. This is the strength of youth movements. “There is “no need to despair”, abounds Nicolas Lecaussin, director of Iref (Institute for Economic and Fiscal Research) and author of an article, “Young people are demonstrating against pension reform! How sad ! “. “Neither you, nor me, nor the youth have any idea what life will be like in 40 or 50 years. Several pension reforms will then surely have been applied, life expectancy will perhaps lead us to be centenarians and the world of work will certainly be transformed. »
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