2010 French pension reform strikes
Encyclopedia
The 2010 pension reform strikes in France were a series of ongoing general strike
s and demonstrations in France
which occurred during September and October 2010.
They involved union members from both the private
and public sector
s protesting in cities, including Bordeaux
, Lille
, Lyon
, Marseille
, Paris
, Toulouse
, Montpellier
and Strasbourg
, against a proposal by the French government to raise the normal retirement age for public pensions from 65 to 67 and early reduced pensions from age 60 to 62, which the Assemblée nationale has approved, while temporary pre-crisis taxes cuts are maintained for the benefit of the richest individuals and companies, and top government officials are subject to an ongoing corruption inquiry. Those who object to the changes say the poorest will be most affected by them.
The strikes have led to a reduction in public transport services, motorway blockages by lorry drivers and disruption to oil deliveries to refineries leading to a national fuel shortage. French students also joined the workers in the protests with barricades being built at around 400 high schools across the country in order to try to prevent other pupils attending classes.
The strikes have been compared to the popularly supported 1995 strikes in France
, with 70% of respondents to one poll suggesting the 2010 strikes would swell into a national movement akin to 1995, and a majority expressing support for such an event. CGT secretary Bernard Thibault
, one of the main trade union leaders, commented to La Chaîne Info
: "There have never since 1995 been as many protesters ... from both the public and private sectors, and now from all generations. The government is betting on this movement deteriorating, even breaking down. I think we have the means to disappoint them."
) and one of the key proposals made in order to reduce government expenditure includes postponing the national retirement age.
's government reduced the retirement age from 65 to 60. The current government plans to raise the normal retirement age for public pensions from 65 to 67 and early reduced pensions from age 60 to 62. This may allow a reduction in public spending. Some people in the working population are opposed to this change. Workers' associations thus organized several strikes.
Tax reductions
In recent years, and despite the financial crisis, the government has maintained tax cuts for the richest households and companies. A report from the French control department
announce that 172 billions €/year are not perceived due to enterprises taxes reductions. French people are confused by the government's reasoning that social spending should be cut because of the lack of money, while pre-crisis special tax cuts are maintained for the richest companies and taxpayers. The 2005 pre-crisis Copé tax cut generated a €22 billion loss in revenue over 3 years, to the benefit of major companies, as opposed to the €1 billion formerly expected. A report by the Conseil des prélèvements obligatoires calculated the real tax rate for major companies, claimed to be about 33%, to actually be approximately 13%, thanks to tax deductions. The cancellation of some of those tax deductions for companies could put €15 to €29 billion a year back into French public finances.
Youth
There are concerns the proposals may have a negative effect on the job market, particularly for young workers. The reform may reduce job opportunities by 1 million and has led some students to join the protests.
For the French sociologist Louis Chauvel
, due to demographic and economic history, the younger generation is in a specifically difficult situation. The jobless rate for youth (-25 years old) in France has been higher than 20% since 1980, reaching 26% in 2009. Despite the common appeasing promise than the job market would expand when babyboomers retire (2005–2020), the global crisis came, and retirement reforms plan to keep about 1 million more workers on the market. Other problems include repetitive poorly paid internships, job instability and lower incomes, while the qualifications and skills required for vacancies are ever-increasing, requiring several more years of education and financial investment than for previous generations, while postponing savings and contributions to the retirement insurance system. Moreover, rental costs for housing and relatively lower incomes reduce the quality of housing conditions. These tensions are fuelling anti-government feeling and the strike itself.
French union leaders have organised fourteen days of nationwide strikes and demonstrations thus far, on Tuesday 7 September, Thursday 23 September, Saturday 2 October, Tuesday 12 October and Saturday 16 October, and Tuesday 19 October. The figures regarding the number of participants vary widely, with numbers being reported by the French Interior Ministry, police, and unions.
The second day of strikes saw the cancellation of as many as 50% of flights at airports in Paris and other cities. Half the country's long-distance trains were cancelled.
A prolonged strike by garbage collectors led to a build-up of trash around the port of Marseille
. The strike has lasted for at least three weeks.
All twelve fuel refineries on the French mainland have been affected by the strike. As a result, one in four fuel stations across the country has run dry.
Students began to participate in the demonstrations during October, with 1 in every 15 schools in the country affected by the middle of the month. Police fired rubber bullet
s in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis
, causing a 16-year-old student to nearly lose an eye, with other students reported to have also been injured. Police sprayed tear gas on young protesters in Lyon
, which was captured by television cameras. Families and children came to the fore on the third day, the first occasion on which a demonstration occurred on a Saturday.
The fifth day of strikes caused the French government to publicly admit that Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport was rapidly running out of fuel, though it did advise people "not to panic".
National Security and Foreign Policy Commission responded to the statement "In a democracy, everyone can express themselves but you have to do so without violence or excesses" made by the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, by saying "If protests had occurred in another country, it would have been interpreted as democracy. [Sarkozy] thinks if people support him [then] the society is democratic, and if people start criticizing him, then the society is undemocratic. Despite his claims, Sarkozy has not been able to successfully resolve the domestic problems of the French people."
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
s and demonstrations in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which occurred during September and October 2010.
They involved union members from both the private
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
and public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
s protesting in cities, including Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, against a proposal by the French government to raise the normal retirement age for public pensions from 65 to 67 and early reduced pensions from age 60 to 62, which the Assemblée nationale has approved, while temporary pre-crisis taxes cuts are maintained for the benefit of the richest individuals and companies, and top government officials are subject to an ongoing corruption inquiry. Those who object to the changes say the poorest will be most affected by them.
The strikes have led to a reduction in public transport services, motorway blockages by lorry drivers and disruption to oil deliveries to refineries leading to a national fuel shortage. French students also joined the workers in the protests with barricades being built at around 400 high schools across the country in order to try to prevent other pupils attending classes.
The strikes have been compared to the popularly supported 1995 strikes in France
1995 strikes in France
The 1995 strikes in France were a series of general strikes in France, mostly in the public sector in late 1995. The strikes received great popular support despite paralyzing the country's transportation infrastructure...
, with 70% of respondents to one poll suggesting the 2010 strikes would swell into a national movement akin to 1995, and a majority expressing support for such an event. CGT secretary Bernard Thibault
Bernard Thibault
Bernard Thibault, born in 1959, is the current secretary of the Confédération Générale du Travail , a French workers' union. He represents the moderate wing of the CGT, as opposed to the more radical wing noted in Marseilles' trade union....
, one of the main trade union leaders, commented to La Chaîne Info
La Chaîne Info
La Chaîne Info, or LCI is a French cable news channel. The network provides 24-hour national and global news coverage.-History:LCI was created on June 24, 1994, by Christian Dutoit on behalf of the media group TF1....
: "There have never since 1995 been as many protesters ... from both the public and private sectors, and now from all generations. The government is betting on this movement deteriorating, even breaking down. I think we have the means to disappoint them."
Reasons for the strikes
In 2007, the French government undertook a general review of its public policies (see French General Review of Public PoliciesFrench General Review of Public Policies
The French General Review of Public Policies , in French "Révision générale des politiques publiques", aims at reducing public spending while increasing the efficiency and quality of public action. It was launched by the Fillon Government in July 2007...
) and one of the key proposals made in order to reduce government expenditure includes postponing the national retirement age.
Immediate
In 1983, François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
's government reduced the retirement age from 65 to 60. The current government plans to raise the normal retirement age for public pensions from 65 to 67 and early reduced pensions from age 60 to 62. This may allow a reduction in public spending. Some people in the working population are opposed to this change. Workers' associations thus organized several strikes.
Longer-term
The size of the strikes also reflects a broader discontent with Sarkozy, with dissatisfaction and mistrust in the government approach for several reasons.Tax reductions
In recent years, and despite the financial crisis, the government has maintained tax cuts for the richest households and companies. A report from the French control department
Cour des Comptes
The Court of Audit is a quasi-judicial body of the French government charged with conducting financial and legislative audits of most public institutions and some private institutions, including the central Government, national public corporations, social security agencies , and public services...
announce that 172 billions €/year are not perceived due to enterprises taxes reductions. French people are confused by the government's reasoning that social spending should be cut because of the lack of money, while pre-crisis special tax cuts are maintained for the richest companies and taxpayers. The 2005 pre-crisis Copé tax cut generated a €22 billion loss in revenue over 3 years, to the benefit of major companies, as opposed to the €1 billion formerly expected. A report by the Conseil des prélèvements obligatoires calculated the real tax rate for major companies, claimed to be about 33%, to actually be approximately 13%, thanks to tax deductions. The cancellation of some of those tax deductions for companies could put €15 to €29 billion a year back into French public finances.
Youth
There are concerns the proposals may have a negative effect on the job market, particularly for young workers. The reform may reduce job opportunities by 1 million and has led some students to join the protests.
For the French sociologist Louis Chauvel
Louis Chauvel
Louis Chauvel, born in 1967, is a French sociologist, full professor at Sciences Po , PhD Université de Lille , Habilitation Sciences Po . He is specialized in social generations, in the analysis of social structures, in cohort and generational change...
, due to demographic and economic history, the younger generation is in a specifically difficult situation. The jobless rate for youth (-25 years old) in France has been higher than 20% since 1980, reaching 26% in 2009. Despite the common appeasing promise than the job market would expand when babyboomers retire (2005–2020), the global crisis came, and retirement reforms plan to keep about 1 million more workers on the market. Other problems include repetitive poorly paid internships, job instability and lower incomes, while the qualifications and skills required for vacancies are ever-increasing, requiring several more years of education and financial investment than for previous generations, while postponing savings and contributions to the retirement insurance system. Moreover, rental costs for housing and relatively lower incomes reduce the quality of housing conditions. These tensions are fuelling anti-government feeling and the strike itself.
Overview of events
| Date | Participants -lower estimate |
Participants -upper estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 23 March 2010 | 395 thousand | 800 thousand |
| 1 May 2010 | 300 thousand | |
| 27 May 2010 | 1.0 million | 395 thousand |
| 15 June 2010 | 23 thousand | 70 thousand |
| 24 June 2010 | 700 thousand | 1.92 million |
| 7 Sept 2010 | 1.2 million | 2.7 million |
| 23 Sept 2010 | 1 million | 3 million |
| 2 Oct 2010 | 0.9 million | 3 million |
| 12 Oct 2010 | 1.2 million | 3.5 million |
| 16 Oct 2010 | 0.8 million | 3 million |
| 19 Oct 2010 | 1.1 million | 3.5 million |
| 28 Oct 2010 | 560 thousand | 2 million |
| 6 Nov 2010 | 375 thousand | 1.2 million |
| 23 Nov 2010 | 52 thousand |
French union leaders have organised fourteen days of nationwide strikes and demonstrations thus far, on Tuesday 7 September, Thursday 23 September, Saturday 2 October, Tuesday 12 October and Saturday 16 October, and Tuesday 19 October. The figures regarding the number of participants vary widely, with numbers being reported by the French Interior Ministry, police, and unions.
The second day of strikes saw the cancellation of as many as 50% of flights at airports in Paris and other cities. Half the country's long-distance trains were cancelled.
A prolonged strike by garbage collectors led to a build-up of trash around the port of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. The strike has lasted for at least three weeks.
All twelve fuel refineries on the French mainland have been affected by the strike. As a result, one in four fuel stations across the country has run dry.
Students began to participate in the demonstrations during October, with 1 in every 15 schools in the country affected by the middle of the month. Police fired rubber bullet
Rubber bullet
Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to metal projectiles...
s in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis
Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis
Montreuil is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is the third most populous suburb of Paris...
, causing a 16-year-old student to nearly lose an eye, with other students reported to have also been injured. Police sprayed tear gas on young protesters in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, which was captured by television cameras. Families and children came to the fore on the third day, the first occasion on which a demonstration occurred on a Saturday.
The fifth day of strikes caused the French government to publicly admit that Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport was rapidly running out of fuel, though it did advise people "not to panic".
Reaction by the French government
As a result of the strike action there have been minor concessions and amendments made to the pension proposals. President Nicolas Sarkozy said some mothers would be able to receive a full pension even if they had taken years out of work to look after children. However, the government maintains that the core of the proposed reform will not be changed.International reactions
A spokesman for Iran's MajlisMajlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
National Security and Foreign Policy Commission responded to the statement "In a democracy, everyone can express themselves but you have to do so without violence or excesses" made by the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, by saying "If protests had occurred in another country, it would have been interpreted as democracy. [Sarkozy] thinks if people support him [then] the society is democratic, and if people start criticizing him, then the society is undemocratic. Despite his claims, Sarkozy has not been able to successfully resolve the domestic problems of the French people."
See also
- 2006 youth protests in France
- May 2010 Greek protests
- Crisis situations and protests in Europe since 2000Crisis situations and protests in Europe since 2000List of crises situations and major protests in countries of Europe since year 2000.- 2011 :*2011 England riots in August*2011 Kosovo border clashes from July onwards, involving Kosovan Police and KFOR against Kosovan Serb demonstrators*2011 E...
External links
- France Is Burning: 2010 Protests - slideshow by Life magazine
- West Bank on the Left Bank - slideshow by Foreign Policy magazine
- In France, Protests Over Austerity Measures - slideshow by The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...