Mass mobilization continues in France

By Alaattin Dogru

ANKARA (AA) - Mass mobilization in France continued against the government's pension reform.

The 10th round of planned mobilization since January was held on Tuesday, with thousands of workers protesting and walking out in various sectors, including transportation, energy, and education.

Protests were held in other cities as well, including Lyon, Rennes, and Nantes.

The social movement intensified when President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne decided to use special constitutional powers to adopt the reform without parliamentary consent on March 16.

More than 1,000 people were arrested during the protests since that date.

A total of 13,000 police officers ensured security during the nationwide protests on Tuesday.

Trade unions fixed a new mobilization day for April 6.

Thousands of tons of garbage piled up in Paris streets due to the garbage collectors' walkout since March 6.

Transportation workers' strike severely disrupted the traffic in the city of Rennes, and half of the trains were suspended in the Parisian region.

16.3% of the gas stations in the country, 29.2% of those in Paris are suffering from supply issues.

The French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) asked the airline companies to cancel up to 25% of their flights in Paris due to airport staff strikes on Thursday and Friday.

- Pension reform plan, source of popular furor

The French government used special constitutional powers on March 16 to force the plan through, prompting opposing parties to submit no-confidence motions that were later rejected.

Macron and Borne decided to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, a mechanism that lets the government adopt a draft bill without parliamentary approval.

The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government does not hold an absolute majority in the legislature.

The government revealed the reform project in January and parliament started examining and debating the draft bill the following month.

Workers and trade unions have since expressed growing outrage by holding demonstrations and walkouts.

The reform project includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.