December 27, 2019.- The blockade of bus terminals in this capital and the surrounding departments today marked the beginning of the 23rd day of strikes in France against the retirement reform.

According to the Police Prefecture, the uniformed “systematically unblocked the circulation of the terminals of Paris and the Little Crown (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne).”

At 08:00 local time, there were no facilities affected, he said in his Twitter account.

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The General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Philippe Martinez, went to the Vitry-sur-Seine bus terminal to support some 300 strikers, who were evicted, according to the Franceinfo website.

The CGT leads the Intersindical movement that strongly rejects the government-led retirement reform, a campaign promise from President Emmanuel Macron consisting of establishing a universal system for points, replacing the current 42 pension schemes, and an age requirement of 64, but without changing the retirement age (62).

While the executive says his proposal will bring social justice, broad sectors of society, including left-wing political organizations, warn that it will hit the pocket of retirees and benefit financial interests.

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The unions do not have a common position, since the Intersindical opposes the entire government plan and demands its elimination, but the reformists, headed by the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), only demand the annulment of the extended age requirement, which means staying active until age 64 to avoid discounts on pensions and collect them in full.

Public transport is the most affected by the strike that began on December 5, with few international, regional and inter-city trains running, compared to normal traffic.

The Intersindical announced that January 9 will be a new day in the streets of France against the reform, after the massive demonstrations of December 5, 10 and 17.

For his part, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called for a meeting of social leaders on January 7, for the purpose of continuing the dialogue, following the lack of results of the rounds of talks on December 18 and 19.

Source URL: Prensa Latina

Translated by JRE/EF