On the side of the unions, pressure is still present. The CGT secretary general, Philippe Martinez, who was invited to appear on the BFMTV set on Friday, reiterated his desire to keep up the mobilization as the Senate continues to review the pension reform’s wording. “We must continue, the ball is in the court of the President of the Republic”, he hammered, while recognizing that “to carry out a renewable strike is not simple for anyone”, given the context. Prices are growing, and we must face this reality, he says.

The union leader lamented the lack of response from the executive despite the 3.5 million protesters that turned out on Tuesday, according to the CGT – 1.28 million for the Ministry of the Interior – for the sixth day of mobilization. “Emmanuel Macron’s lack of response is a concern. Everyone is aware that he has changed. Philippe Martinez said, “And when we ask him to be received, he doesn’t respond us.

It would be very severe to get a 49.3 on this text.

“When there are strikes and there is nothing to oppose them and there are millions of people in the streets. What else must I do to be heard, people ask themselves? The union spokesperson argues that it is a question. What happens next after the mobilization? Philippe Martinez could not provide any additional information, but he ensures that if the law’s wording were to pass the National Assembly in an emergency, the movement might continue. It would be quite dangerous to approve a text of this significance with a 49.3. This would support our decision to carry on with the movement, he insisted.

“We are in a unique scenario; there is a great deal of unhappiness, there are surveys, and there are millions of workers on the streets. Also, there is no majority [at the National Assembly] or it is impossible to find, as the union head recalled. And I should add, “It is our duty to warn. The severity of the issue was not appreciated by the authorities.

In spite of ongoing strikes and mounting concerns about the presence of a majority in the National Assembly, the Senate made slow progress on Thursday as it examined the pension reform after adopting the deferral of the retirement age to 64 years the day before.