dpa
Paris
More industrial action is expected across France on Tuesday, with the government showing no signs of major concessions as Paris workers removed thousands of tons of refuse from the streets following a three-week strike. France has been gripped by protests after President Emmanuel Macron pushed through plans to increase the pension age to 64 from 62.
Unions have called for a tenth nationwide day of strikes on Tuesday, with 650,000 to 900,000 participants expected. A government spokesman said the pensions legislation - which went through the lower house of parliament without a vote - would soon be passed once it went through final checks. The government survived two no confidence motions last week. “The pension law is behind us, we are waiting for a review by the Constitutional Council,” government spokesman Olivier Véran told BFMTV.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne hinted on Sunday that she would approach the unions for talks but the head of the CFDT union for general workers, Laurent Berger, said on Monday that the olive branch would be of little use if the reforms were not suspended. Macron planned to discuss the situation with Borne and ministers on Monday. The centre-right government wants to close a looming gap in pension funds thanks to the gradual reforms, which Macron hopes will come into effect by the end of the year. It is unclear if Paris refuse collectors will be involved in any new strikes. After a police order, the refuse department sent out 421 garbage trucks over the weekend, and 158 on Monday, twice as many as usual.
In addition, 50 special vehicles were clearing refuse from blocked streets. City authorities said7,828 tons of garbage was lying uncollected, down from 9,800 tons on Saturday. According to the grammar school union FIDL, more than 200 grammar schoolswere blocked by protesters on Monday while Le Monde reported that there are shortages of fuel at 15% of French petrol stations due to refineries on strike. The Louvre Museum in Paris remained closed on Monday because of the industrial action.
