Macron threatened with 'hardline' wave of strikes over controversial pension reforms

Unions and opposition parties have promised to hit France with a "new 1995" wave of national strikes this week in a bid to reverse Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms.

They hope that up to two million people will turn out this Thursday, with union leaders warning that it could trigger a repeat of street protests and rolling transport strikes that saw president Jacques Chirac throw in the towel on pension reforms 27 years ago.

"In 1995, nobody thought there would be a wide-scale social movement, yet the more the days passed, the more the country was blocked, and the more the French supported those on strike," said Eric Coquerel, an MP for the Leftist France Unbowed party.

A large majority of the French reject Mr Macron's plan to progressively raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, polls suggest. The reforms will also see the French gradually make pension contributions for 43 years rather than 42 by 2027.

Mr Macron's government insists the reforms are essential to keep France’s generous pay-as-you-go pensions system afloat, given the country’s ageing population.

The French president was forced to call off his first stab at pension reform during his first term in 2020 after the longest transport strike since 1968 and as the Covid lockdown loomed.

Back then, he enjoyed the support of France's biggest, moderate union, CFDT. 

This time, however, he has succeeded in uniting all of the country's main unions into calling for a first day of strikes next week - a rare feat not seen in 12 years and a litmus test for further industrial action.

On Saturday, the French prime minister insisted that the reform was not yet set in stone ahead of a Jan 23 debate in parliament - where the Macron camp no longer enjoys an absolute majority and is reliant on ad hoc support from other parties.

"The dialogue is not over... we have had numerous consultations with labour organisations which allowed us to improve the draft law and account for individual situations we hadn't necessarily had in mind before," Élisabeth Borne told France Inter.

Ministers have sought to downplay the risks of long-term action and urged unions to avoid gridlock.

But unions in the public transport and energy sectors say they are digging in for just that.

Unions at the national rail operator SNCF claim that Jan 19 will be the "starting gun for a powerful, long-term mobilisation over pensions".

"Not one day, not one month, not one year more," said Unsa-ferroviaire.

Meanwhile, the Paris transport union CGT-RATP was even more categorical, saying: "Our objective is to reach a 'zero transport' (situation)."

"It will be hardline action, it will represent a barometer for the launch of a protest movement," added Régis Hoffman of CFDT-Cheminots Grand Est.

Transport workers will likely be joined by those from the energy industry, whose four biggest unions meet on Monday to discuss their "plan of action".

"We are expecting a very strong mobilisation on January 19," said the FCE-CFDT union.

Meanwhile, the powerful and hardline CGT union warned of "power cuts" and Robin Hood-style distribution of "free energy" to the poor.

CGT called on refinery workers and other staff in the petrol sector to strike on Jan 26 and Feb 6.

"One day (on Jan 19) will not be enough to make the government back down on this reform," Eric Sellini, the CGT coordinator at TotalEnergies, told BFM TV.

"If the conflict were to last, there would inevitably be consequences for refining operations, with potentially a stoppage of the installations in the weeks to come... a halt to fuel delivery."

However, the government insists it has replenished fuel stocks to avoid - at least in the short term - a repeat of the shortages that caused chaos for motorists last autumn, when weeks of industrial action saw huge queues form at many petrol stations.

Teachers have also been called to strike, and unions representing hospital workers and police - many of whom will retain the right to retire early but will have to work an extra two years in the future - are mulling action.