Strikes against pension reform: three new dates announced by the unions

After the promulgation of the pension reform law by Emmanuel Macron on Friday, the unions want to reiterate the mobilizations. Even if the context is no longer the same as in previous weeks, the CGT does not want to slow down the movement and calls “to continue the mobilization in all its peaceful forms”. Before a day presented as “historic” on May 1, 2023, the inter-union invites the strikers to gather on April 20 and 28.

Even if they always want to collaborate for different protests in the streets, the unions’ press releases complement each other. The member of the confederal office of the CGT, Thomas Vacheron specified this Friday on Franceinfo that the mobilization of April 20 will touch “specifically on the question of pensions” while April 28 will relate “to pensions and deaths at work”. He also adds that between “today and May 1, several mobilizations, actions, strikes and demonstrations will exist and will help to roll back the government”.

As for the CFDT, Laurent Berger said he was focusing on “a big day of mobilization on May 1”. Despite disputes over the next strike days, the general secretary of the CFDT wishes to show that the unions remain united: “there are no cracks in the inter-union, but a requirement for collective rigor”.

A day of wage and union demands, this May 1 is already announced as “a historic moment of mobilization”. Sophie Binet, secretary general of the CGT, also calls for “continuing the mobilization in all its peaceful forms, in particular with the highlights by the territories and professions on April 20 and 28”.

In addition, the four unions representing the SNCF declared Saturday “a day of expression of railway anger” this Thursday, April 20 as a “preparation” for the May Day demonstrations. Like the CGT and the CFDT, the CGT-Cheminots, the Unsa-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and the CFDT-Cheminots affirm in this same press release that “the nocturnal promulgation of the law does not change anything at all our fight. We won’t move on until this law is scrapped.”