In France, protests put a lump of coal in holiday travel plans
PARIS — Forget presents. All French people want for Christmas is to be able to get on a train to visit family and friends.
It looks increasingly like Santa or, rather, labor unions won’t be delivering that anytime soon.
Strikes by transport workers against the government’s pension reform plan are shutting down 50% of national and local trains this weekend and 59% on Monday and Tuesday. The national railway company SNCF said it suspended its unaccompanied minor service, canceling about 6,000 tickets for children who were planning to travel during the vacation.
SNCF called on travelers to change their tickets but pledged it will seek to make sure the main lines run Monday and Tuesday.
A recent OpinionWay poll showed 55% of respondents said unions were “wrong” to keep striking during the holiday season. While some unions are calling for a truce, others aren’t.
The Christmas calls may only be a temporary respite for President Emmanuel Macron as opposition to his pension reform is rising.
An Elabe poll indicates that 57%, more people reject the plan now than when protests started more than two weeks ago. Some unions have called for a new protest march Jan. 9.
While Macron’s government has barreled through reforms of tax and labor laws, the current gridlock shows how deeply the French are wedded to their pension system. Macron wants to merge 42 separate regimes into a single universal points-based system. The plan also offers incentives to raise the age for full retirement benefits to 64 from 62.
Workers have been protesting proposed changes to one of Europe’s most complex and costly pension programs. The government wants to phase out special retirement plans for sectors ranging from train conductors to dancers at the Paris Opera Ballet.