French pension reform: Unions slam Macron's 'contempt' and 'radicalization' The speedy enactment of the pension reform in the early hours of Saturday

If Emmanuel Macron was seeking to appease the unions, his decisions, at this stage, have led to the opposite outcome. By almost immediately?enacting a pension reform?that will see the retirement age raised to 64 by 2030 shortly after it was?approved by the Constitutional Council, the highest constitutional authority in France on April 14, the French President once again irked the leaders of workers' organizations. Macron's choice was predictable but it was carried out in such a short time that it was felt as yet another act of brutality in the direction of the workers' representatives.

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In a joint statement, union leaders had pressed Macron not to sign the reform into law: It is the "only way to calm the anger that is expressed in the country." They were in for a painful awakening on Saturday when they discovered that the bill had been officially translated into French legislation overnight by appearing in the Journal Officiel. "Emmanuel Macron's message (...) is, to the very end, contempt for the world of work and disconnection with reality," Laurent Berger, the head of the moderate CFDT union, told daily Le Parisien on Sunday.

Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés French unions say battle against pension reform 'not over'

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Other union leaders were on the same page: "Emmanuel Macron is closing all the doors to a way out of the conflict in a very worrying form of radicalization," said Sophie Binet, the new chief of the hardline CGT union, in an interview with a number of French regional newspapers. Macron's decision was "not a surprise, but the desire to go fast (...) looks like a provocation," Frederic Souillot, the leader of FO, told France 2 television on Saturday. Cyril Chabanier, the head of the CFTC union, told Le Monde Macron's attitude was shocking and equivalent to "total deafness, with the risk that the feeling of revolt will increase."

Maintain the momentum

Consequently, unions have no intention of "letting themselves be pushed," as Simon Duteil, co-delegate general of Solidaires, said. They are calling on the population to make Labor Day, on May 1st, a "tsunami" against the pension reform. Until then, other actions are scheduled, including at rail company SNCF where four unions (CFDT, CGT, Sud-Rail and UNSA) are calling for work stoppages on April 20. "We know that going on strike is complicated but our determination remains untouched, the energy is there," said Duteil, adding that polls keep indicating deep rejection of the reform. The CGT will hold a meeting on Tuesday to prepare for May 1st: The objective is to maintain the momentum of the protest by multiplying various initiatives against the reform during the second half of April.

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