French travellers were braced for transport disruption over the Christmas holiday season after unions vowed to continue the nationwide transport strike over pension reforms until January, as thousands prepared to travel home to their families, reports The Guardian.
The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, failed to break the deadlock in talks with unions and employers’ representatives on Thursday where the government had sought to avoid a Christmas holiday pile-up of frustrated travellers on Friday and over the weekend.
As strikes entered their third week, Philippe emerged from the talks saying he was committed to pushing through the pension reforms. The president, Emmanuel Macron had indicated via his office earlier this week that he was “willing to improve” his plan to eliminate dozens of separate pension schemes by creating a single points-based system.
But unions continued to express their anger at a new “pivot age” of 64 that workers would have to reach in order to receive a full pension, beyond the official retirement age of 62.
Philippe reiterated a plea to unions to suspend transport strikes during the holidays. “I call on unions to allow French people to travel to see their families over Christmas,” he said.
Laurent Berger, leader of the moderate CFDT union, said on Thursday night that he still disagreed with the government. Philippe Martinez, leader of the leftwing CGT union said: “The prime minister hasn’t heard what the street is saying.”
Unions called for another day of nationwide street protests on January 9th. However, UNSA, the second-biggest union at railway company SNCF, called for a truce over Christmas, which could alleviate some transport misery.
The standoff is a crucial test for the centrist president, whose planned overhaul of the pensions system was a key election promise. It is part of his pledge to deliver the biggest “transformation” of the French social model and welfare system since the postwar era.
Nearly 12% of the country’s rail workers staged stoppages and about 60% of drivers were on strike on Thursday, less than the previous day. The SNCF national rail authority said about 60% of trains were halted on Thursday, down from 90% earlier in the strike.