French unions have urged refinery workers to join nationwide protests against a bill that seeks to increase the retirement age by two years to 64.
This has resulted in some train cancellations and potential strikes among refinery workers, garbage collectors, and teachers, despite recent protests garnering fewer participants than earlier this year.
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The Constitutional Council is expected to deliver a verdict on the bill’s legality, and if approved, the government may promulgate the law, hoping to quell the protests that have at times turned violent and sparked widespread anger against President Macron. Macron has expressed plans to hold a meeting with unions after the Council’s decision to work on alternative proposals.
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The level of opposition to the policy changes could have long-term repercussions, potentially boosting support for far-right parties. While Macron and his government argue that the pension bill is necessary to sustain France’s pension system, unions argue that other measures, such as taxing the wealthy or making deeper changes to the pension system, could achieve the same outcome.
TotalEnergies has announced that the Gonfreville refinery in northern France has resumed operations, marking the last of its four domestic refineries to restart after a month-long strike.
