Public transportation, schools and electricity, oil and gas supplies were disrupted in France as demonstrators numbering in the tens of thousands took to the streets Tuesday for a third round of nationwide strikes and protests against the government's pension reform plans.
The demonstrations came a day after French lawmakers began debating a pension bill that would raise the minimum retirement from 62 to 64. The bill is the flagship legislation of President Emmanuel Macron's second term.
Rail operator SNCF said train traffic was severely disrupted Tuesday across the country, including on its high-speed network. International lines to Britain and Switzerland were affected. The Paris metro was also disrupted. Power producer EDF said the protest movement led to temporarily reduced electricity supplies, without causing blackouts. More than half of the workforce was on strike at the TotalEnergies refineries, according to the company.
The government argues the changes are designed to keep the pension system financially afloat. France’s aging population is expected to plunge into the system into deficit in the coming decade.Opposition lawmakers have proposed more than 20,000 amendments to the bill debated on Monday, mostly by the left-wing Nupes coalition.
The head of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger, also called on the government to “listen” to the crowd that took to the streets. “One can only respond to social tension through the democratic exercise of power," he told French newspaper La Croix.
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