“For the unions, this is a call for responsibility,” said the Prime Minister on the sidelines of a trip to Disneyland Paris. “There is a right to strike, there is a right to demonstrate”, but “it is also important not to penalize the French”, she warned.
Elisabeth Borne called on the unions on Thursday to “not penalize the French” in their mobilization against the pension reform. “For the unions, this is a call for responsibility,” said the Prime Minister on the sidelines of a trip to Disneyland Paris. “There is a right to strike, there is a right to demonstrate”, but “it is also important not to penalize the French”, she warned while the CGT unions of the oil branch are hovering the risk of refinery blockages.
Mobilizations on January 19
“We can strike but we must also be attentive to the daily lives of our fellow citizens,” insisted the head of government to journalists. “We are in a period which can be complicated, with concern in particular about inflation. Let’s find modes of action which do not penalize our fellow citizens”, continued Élisabeth Borne, who presented her project on Tuesday aimed at postponing gradually to 64 as the retirement age, instead of the current 62, while accelerating the extension of the contribution period.
The main unions, unanimously opposed to this flagship reform of Emmanuel Macron’s program for his second five-year term, have already called for a first day of strikes and demonstrations on January 19. The polls also show the majority of French people hostile to the reform.
The Prime Minister said she wanted to “convince”: “this reform is both necessary to restore the balance of our pay-as-you-go pension system”, “but also a text of justice and progress”. She recalled what the government considers to be “social progress”, on long careers, “difficult jobs”, and the revaluation of small pensions.