Strikes in refineries, ports and electricity in France over pensions

The opposition to the pension reform of the government of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, lives from Thursday a new episode with calls for strikes in some sectors such as refineries, electricity or ports.

On the eve of the second united call of all French trade unions on the 31st, the strikes organized today, most of which are due to continue on Friday, have the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) in particular behind them.

On its Twitter account, its section of the mining and energy federation calls for "action and intensification of the balance of force" this Thursday and Friday before the 31st, a day for which the message is "all on strike and in the street."

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The electricity sector stoppages, as already happened last week, are expected to result in production reductions in nuclear power plants (which in normal times provide 70% of the country's current generation) or in hydroelectric plants.

In the refineries, although a total stoppage of their operation is not expected, what is possible is a blockage of entrances or exits.

In the ports, the CGT has called 24-hour stoppages, which in principle should not be prolonged.

The leaders of the eight big French unions wanted to show their unity on Wednesday, despite their divergent protest strategies, in front of the National Assembly where the examination in committee of the pension reform bill is to begin next week.

Laurent Berger, secretary general of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), made it clear once again that his central is not in favor of blockading the country, as seems to be the objective of the CGT, but agrees on the objective that the government has to give up the central axis of its reform, delaying the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

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The big challenge for the unions is to mobilize massively again next 31st as they did on January 19, when according to the police 1.1 million demonstrators took to the streets (more than 2 million, according to the CGT).

For the following days, again the CGT has launched other strike calls in electricity and especially in the railway company SNCF on February 7 and 8.

Source: EFE