Refinitiv Newscasts - French pension strikes hit energy, fuel, transport

North Atlantic Energies SA

07/03/2023 15:24

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_88x54dxo&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2023:newsml_RW541307032023RP1_K15&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts
Source: Thomson Reuters

Description: Workers striking in protest at proposed French pension reforms
disrupted energy, transport and other sectors on Tuesday (March 7), and vowed
to keep ramping up the pressure on Emmanuel Macron's government. Julian
Satterthwaite reports.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/3Zv5fKE

Video Transcript:

France was hit by a new wave of strikes and protests on Tuesday. Unions have
called for walkouts over planned pension reforms. Stoppages disrupted fuel
deliveries and operations at oil refineries operated by Esso and others. Power
generation and garbage collection were also hit. At a protest in the western
port of Saint-Nazaire, one union delegate said raising the retirement age by
two years to 64 was a step too far.

People are fed up. People are exhausted. People see around them that there are
plenty of colleagues who do not even make it to the current legal retirement
age, so how can we expect them to make it to 64?

Commuters in Paris were among those to feel the effects of Tuesday's strike,
with rail services in the capital badly disrupted. However, at least some
travelers had sympathy for the strikers.

Of course, it affects me because I need to go to work like everyone else. I do
not like being stressed in commuting but it is not just important. I would say
it is of utmost importance even, because it is about our pensions.

Unions say they will ramp up pressure on lawmakers to vote against the
reforms. They say rolling strikes could be prolonged for days. However, French
President Emmanuel Macron is pressing ahead. Though his camp does not have a
majority in parliament, he can count on support from some conservative
opposition members. Ministers hope to see the measures approved by the end of
the month