New record. On March 7, for the sixth day of mobilization against the pension reform, 1.4 million French people took to the streets to oppose the postponement of the statutory retirement age to 64. In Paris, the CGT counted 700,000 demonstrators on the route linking Sèvres-Babylone to the Place d’Italie.
We met the participants and asked them to explain their placards, the reasons for their mobilization and their perception of the current political climate.
“We fight for the world we want to leave to our children”
1:30 pm, Rennes metro. The Procession hasn’t started yet when we meet Emma, 29, and her mother Caterina, 64. One is in a history thesis at EHESS, the other has just retired since September. Their placards read: Women in jail, women in misery ” AND ” Women’s retreat, infamous retreat “.
Emma comments on this choice: “ It seems to me important to bring together all the themes of struggle, economic, social, feminism, ecology. I focused on women, because they are among the big losers of the reform “. An observation that his mother Caterina, a former associate professor of history in high school, can only confirm: ” I have long believed that wage equality is a given in national education. But when I retired, I discovered that in fact all the leave I was able to take to care for my children was negatively affecting my pension amount. “.
For the two women, being on the street today is essential to make themselves visible and make their disagreement felt, not only with this unjust reform, but more generally with government policy. ” It is our only fighting tool. My mom is retired and I’m doing my PhD, which means I can’t technically go on strike. But being in this procession and seeing all these people mobilize is a way not to lose hope and to see that we are not alone. It is also an act of solidarity adds Emma. And a gesture for future generations: “ I’m pregnant, even if you can’t see it under my sign, continues the young woman. Pension reform is not a personal matter, it is about the world we want to leave to our children! »
“Contrary to popular belief, even pensioners don’t want this reform! »
A little further on, Sophie, 67, is perched on a bench. The former teacher waves a sign that reads ” Their yachts will run aground on our shores “. A play on words that symbolizes a real split between two worlds: “ those with private yachts and planes, and ordinary people. Those who make the laws and those who live them. They are totally disconnected! “. The 60-year-old also criticizes the government for making the bed on the far right. As a pensioner, it seemed essential to her to be present today: ” Many retirees are against this unfair law. We managed to leave earlier, we know what that meansAnd. It’s important for young people to be able to leave when there’s still time, when they’re fit, when they still want to do things, when they’re not completely stupid, with a little money. Me, my boarding house is pretty shabby, and that’s not normal. I was a teacher, and contrary to what people think, it’s exhausting. It will be difficult for my colleagues to last up to 64 years “.
For Arnaud, 54, a teacher, the pension reform is also indicative of the state of our democracy. His sign reads: Social achievements “. Everything is wrapped in bubble wrap and finished with a ” Fragile “. A witty staging to point the finger at the way in which, according to him, the democratic debate is being undermined. ” The government is doing everything to ensure that there is no debate in the Assembly. Originally, the 49.3 is an emergency measure, a secret passage, in case the deputies do not agree, to prevent the country from being blocked. This is an exception that the current government is turning into a rule. Prioritizing efficiency over democratic legitimacy undermines citizens’ trust. We shouldn’t be surprised when people no longer believe in politics. “. Arnaud is of the same opinion as Sophie: “ Having fun with 49.3, Emmanuel Macron plays the National Gathering game. »
“Pension reform is a fish in the ocean”
As the procession moves slowly towards the Place d’Italie, Léa, 21, recounts the anger of the students of art or architecture schools, faced with a government which, according to her, does not value these sectors enough:
“We have huge equipment expenditures, which are not factored into student budgets, but they are for engineering schools! We lack means, premises, our teachers are poorly paid, the students have an enormous workload, it has become completely normal and we accept to sleep three hours a night. Pension reform is a fish in the ocean. It’s super important, but it’s just the straw that broke the camel’s back. There are many things wrong, in terms of ecology, women’s rights, the way foreigners are treated…
The young lady is not at her first manifestation. She in particular had participated in the marches for Adama Traoré or in the Black Lives Matter movement. For her it is the best way to make herself heard: ” Tomorrow is March 8, so I will demonstrate again, Friday, there is a march for ecology, so we will demonstrate again, the following week, the week after and the week after even if necessary! We’ll do it right, I’m sure. “.
” In a group, in a crowd, we seem to have more voice and more weight adds Juliette, 22, also an art student. The young woman has painted a clitoris on her sign, which reads ” I want to enjoy my retirement “. On the back, a sentence reminiscent of those of Emma and Catherine: ” Before household chores, amputated pensions “. She explains: “ The women have jobs and when they come home in the evening they start their second day of work. Very often they are the ones who take care of the chores, the children, the house… A real exhaustion, but which will not be taken into account when it comes to calculating the retirement age “.
A conception of work that is out of step with climate issues
For Guillaume, it is our whole way of seeing work that needs to be rethought get out of a vision of growth incompatible with the current climate challenges : “ We should work less, switch to a four-day week to produce things that are useful, not things that we throw away. This is the purpose of degrowth: betting on quality objects, producing better, consuming better. We should also change the way we measure progress, not relying solely on economic growth. “. A vision shared by Lucie, at his side: “ This reform is not in the right logic, prioritizes short-term profit and responds to neoliberal ideals. They are exactly the same mechanisms as climate. Our current leaders, whether Biden or Macron, are not climate skeptics, they are climate cynics! As with climate, education or health, the pension market represents a huge private market to capitalize on. The challenge here is to satisfy those who sell pension funds… And we are talking about urgent reform, when the real emergency is the planet! »
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
