Workers’ revolt in France

We received the following report on what is going on in France:

Here,  is a short update on the situation in France after the historical journey of December 17th.
As we expected the mobilization in work places  public and private was very high. Even in small towns workers, pensioners, students, including sometimes small  farmers have organized demonstrations. Big industrial sites like refineries, ports and docks, car industries, and of course transports like truck drivers who have decided to block high ways,turnpikes, railways workers now on strike for 13 days, subways as well, buses public and private, the air transport was reduced of 40 % also air controllers were on strike, hospitals more than 200 hospitals on strike, doctors threaten now to quite, we have very high mobilization of teachers, students, lawyers, artists, our 2 operas in Paris are on strike and yesterday the choirs and orchestra delivered a beautiful concert on the outside staircase of  the opera Bastille for the participants of the Paris demonstration.
For this exceptional mobilization with millions of people on strike, we had 260 demonstrations all over the country, 1,8 million demonstrators in the streets: 350 000 in Paris, 250 000 in Marseille, 150 000 in Toulouse, 70 000 in Bordeaux, 30 000 in Lille….WE have never seen that since 1968. Now the struggle will continue and on the regionnal and local level to continue to reinforced the strike. On December 19th will be another day of mobilization before new actions are decided. There is also a very important mouvement of financial solidarity for the workers on strike, especially from older people.
The determination of our people is very high even if some have to face bad consequences, there is no transports, for exemple around the region of Paris. every morning there is something like 600kms of cars of auto traffic blockades, and if the government don’t remove his reform the strike will go on for Christmas and new year’s eave which mean’s that there will be no train to visit the family.
 There  is a big media campaign, from the government and of Macron majority in Parliament to stop the movement during this period of holidays, but the workers want to continue. We are planning for the 24/25 December to have family friendly republican meals in workplaces. Today poll opinions are saying that 65% of the all French population support the action, more than 70% don’t believe that Macron wants to improved our system of pension. The prime minister have announced yesterday that he is fully determined to implement Macron’s néolibéral reform which in fact  is the destruction of the most important pillar of our social system since the end of WW2. Because of this situation the government is trying to bring CFDT the reformist union to a deal to have them withdraw from the action (they were involved only for the 17th) and divided the movement.

Transport workers erect flaming barricades as France brought to standstill in massive strike

16 Dec, 2019
French transport infrastructure ground to a halt on Monday as drivers and conductors at state-run companies continued to strike against proposed pension reform, while truckers protested for better wages and working conditions.
As many as 200 people from a local transport trade union congregated outside a TCAR bus depot near the French city of Rouen in the early hours of Monday morning, erecting a burning barricade of shopping carts and setting dumpsters on fire
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/476006-transport-workers-strike-france-standstill/

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Tear gas & vehicles ablaze: Paris protests against French pension reform escalate into clashes with police

17 Dec, 2019
Protests against controversial French pension reform plans have escalated into clashes between demonstrators and police in Paris. Protesters pelted police with projectiles, while officers responded with tear gas and baton charges.
Over 350,000 people took to the streets of the French capital on Tuesday to protest the planned pension reforms, according to figures provided by the CGT trade union. Police put the Paris numbers at 76,000, and said around 615,000 marched nationwide.
The demonstration promptly became heated, escalating into clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/476122-police-tear-gas-pension-paris/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email