French president sticks with economy overhaul despite threat of more strikes
French president Emmanuel Macron has declared strikes and protests will not prevent him from overhauling the nation’s economy as train workers, hospital staff, students, retirees, lawyers and magistrates challenge his economic vision.
Mr Macron appeared on national television TF1 yesterday to respond to the public’s concerns and defend his economic policies and tax changes, which he said were aimed at modernising the country.
The interview, in a schoolroom in a small village in western France, came hours ahead of a new round of train worker strikes.
Mr Macron said public anger “doesn’t stop” him and vowed to continue with the train reforms, meant to prepare France’s national SNCF railway to open up to competition.
“We will continue because the world around us is speeding up, going through great changes and because our country must be able to choose its destiny and live better,” he said. In what some portray as a fight for the identity of France, Mr Macron wants to reduce the role of the state and inject vitality in the economy by trimming guarantees for workers and increasing competition among companies.
His critics say he is favouring the rich and eroding workers’ hard-won labour rights with moves that risk increasing wealth disparity in a country whose national motto includes the word “equality.”
Mr Macron justified a tax rise for retirees, saying it was needed to be able to finance pensions. He also insisted tax cuts for employees and businesses would boost investment and create more jobs.
Last year the government used a special, accelerated procedure to push a labour bill through Parliament that many feel weakened France’s worker protections.
This spring Mr Macron’s government initiated changes to tax retirees more and employees less, cut jobs in some hospitals, reorganise the justice system and apply a new university admissions system. All of the moves sparked protests.
However, Mr Macron’s biggest challenge as president so far is from French train unions resisting his attempts to eliminate rules that effectively give workers jobs for life.
It has prompted nationwide strikes that have massively disrupted train traffic. Unions plan periodic rolling strikes through June. Legislators start debating the train labour bill this week.
Polls show the majority of the French approve the changes to rail service, but a growing minority supports the strikes.
The strikes and protests evoke 1995 when massive general strikes forced President Jacques Chirac’s government to abandon its economic reform agenda.
This week protesting students were occupying and partially blocking several public universities. They fear a bill to reorganise university admissions will threaten the existing system.