As major French trade unions staged their eighth strike and protest against the pension reform plan of the Emmanuel Macron regime on the 15th, the whole of France faced a ‘war against garbage’.
Authorities estimate that at least 7,000 tons of garbage have not been collected in Paris alone, as unions in major industries such as transportation, logistics, and oil refining have all stopped and even the garbage disposal workers’ union goes on strike every day. A commentator on France’s ‘Europe 1’ radio called the garbage “an all-you-can-eat buffet” for the 6 million rats in Paris.
There is no sign that this situation will be resolved for the time being. The Paris garbage disposal union decided on the 14th that “the strike will continue until at least the 20th”.
Public opinion surrounding the garbage dump is mixed. As much public opinion opposes the pension reform, there are also opinions that the inconvenience caused by uncollected garbage should be tolerated. However, as garbage overflows on the roadside, public opinion negative to the strike is also emerging. Citizens who are negative about the strike say, “We must stop supporting the garbage collection strike. ‘Safety of the city’ takes precedence over a small ‘political calculation’,” he said, arguing that citizens should not endure any further inconvenience.
The Macron administration is promoting a reform plan that will delay the retirement age from the current 62 to 64 by 2030, saying that pension reform cannot be delayed any longer given the aging population and fiscal deficit. If implemented, the period in which pension payments must be paid in order to receive 100% of the pension will also increase by one year from 42 years to 43 years.
The French Senate and House of Representatives decided on the 15th to form a ‘Committee of Equal Numbers (CMP)’ to pass a pension reform bill that both houses could not agree on. If the CMP, which consists of 14 members, including 7 members of the House of Representatives and 7 members of the Senate, agrees on the final draft, a vote will be held in both houses on the 16th.
If the CMP fails to reach an agreement, or if the agreement fails to pass both the House and the Senate, both houses will have to review the bill again. Both houses must vote by the 26th of this month. If this bill does not finally pass the National Assembly, the government can enforce the law without a parliamentary vote pursuant to Article 49 Section 3 of the Constitution.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.