More mass strikes in France against cutting pensions

Ramin Mazaheri

Press TV, Paris

Huge demonstrations and strikes were held across France as efforts increase to stop austerity-minded rollbacks to the pension system. President Emmanuel Macron wants to dismantle the current system in favor of a single plan which omits any distinction between manual labor and office work.

Furthermore, the retirement age will be effectively raised two years, to 64. The government says that more austerity is the solution to a lost decade of economic growth, but skepticism is widespread.

Recent polls showed that over 70% of France does not have faith that the government will propose a "good pension reform", showing how deep anti-government suspicion has become.

The same poll also found that 70% of the country views Macron as a right-winger, and not a centrist. Opposition to the pension reform crosses class lines well-paid lawyers marched alongside airline stewardesses in Paris.

The so-called “universal system” is perceived as inflicting a combination of higher pension taxes, delayed retirement and reduced pensions on everyone except shareholders, corporation and the wealthy.

Social unrest provoked by right-wing austerity has reached a boiling point: last week witnessed “Black Friday”, the biggest public transport strike in over a decade.

This week is full of striking workers, with Saturday September 21 certain to be the biggest day of anti-government unrest in months.

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