Whether they work in the factory, in the hospital, on public transport or continue on the university benches… Between 1.272 million -according to the authorities- and 2.8 million French -according to the unions- marched together on Tuesday in the streets of the capital to oppose the pension reform, which provides in particular for the postponement of the legal retirement age to 64 years.
Why such a massive mobilization against the project carried out by Elisabeth Borne’s government? In the Parisian procession, many protesters told BFMTV.com that they wanted to denounce “an unfair reform,” especially for people with hard jobs, those who started working early or even women, who outnumber men on choppy careers.
Many confessed that they personally did not feel capable, physically or psychologically, of working “serenely and in good health” until the age of 64, while others expressed concern for their loved ones, already worn down by years of hard work. These are some of their testimonials.
∙Alexandre, 40 years old, worker: “Reaching 62 already seems complicated”
Alexandre has been an automotive worker at the Stellantis (PSA) production site located in Poissy (Yvelines) for 25 years. At 40 years old, he explains that he usually works at night, does and counts “exhausting” work rhythms.
To this day, he assures that he does not have a partner of that age: “They are all on leave, or have chosen to take conventional breaks because they are knocked out.” “In our trades we have been worn out since we were 55 years old,” says the worker. “All this for miserable wages and pensions.”
∙Blandine, 45 years old, civil servant: “I still haven’t done half of my degree”
Interim allowances, two maternity leaves, late return to school… Blandine, 45, is a civil servant in the Grand Est region. Originally from Nancy, she did the math: for his career has been cut short, he could not retire before the age of 67, full retirement age, regardless of the number of years of contributions, as is already the case in the current system.
With the reform as it has been presented for the moment and the extension of the age of majority, the womenmore exposed to rough roads, they should be led to extend their career more than men on average -Elisabeth Borne, assures that her project “does not penalize women”.
“I was late to the market like many,” says Blandine for his part. “I stopped for my two children, I resumed my studies at the age of 35…”
Blandine takes the cue from her 67-year-old mother, now retired but recently ill, with whom she came to demonstrate. “After 60, it wasn’t possible anymore,” she says. “She could no longer recover and in the morning she could no longer get up.”
∙ Karima, 48, civil servant: “Women are on the front line!”
It is for the women that Karima decided to join the Paris procession on Tuesday. “They are on the front line! Not only do they suffer sexual and gender violence in the workplace, but also social violence worsens,” laments this director of a school, based in Paris.
The mother-of-two says her two teenage sons, ages 15 and 18, recently had the idea to start “putting money aside because they’re sure they won’t have a pension.” “She scared me to the core, made me angry and even made me cry, I must say,” she says.
∙ Roger, 55, RATP bus driver: “Two more years in hell”
If Roger went out, it was to avoid having to endure “two more years in hell”. With the pension reform, this 55-year-old RATP bus driver already sees himself spending “two more years in hell.” “Our special regime, which currently takes into account the hard work of our work, is under threat, it is simply at risk of being abolished,” this driver explains to BFMTV.com.
The government project provides for the abolition of most of the existing special regimes, including those of the RATP, the electricity and gas industries and the Banque de France. “The drop too much” for him: “We cannot accept that, it has become unbearable.”
“Déjà qu’on saborde nos conditions de travail ces derniers mois”, poursuit-il, en référence aux nombreux problemes de la régie, confrontée notamment à une penurie de personnel et à la colère des usagers en raison de la dégradation de l’offre transport.
∙ Eliane, 55, nurse: “Lifting a patient at 64, I won’t be able to do it anymore”
Eliane is a nurse in the resuscitation department of the Arpajon hospital (Essonne). At 55, she still hasn’t calculated precisely at what age she will be able to retire with the reform. “It’s not clear yet, but I think you should add two years to me, because I was at 80% for 15 years for personal reasons,” she said.
The caretaker highlights her “extremely physical work.” “The Government must take into account that it will no longer be possible,” adds the nurse, who evokes – like many colleagues – working conditions in the hospital that have become “catastrophic”.
The Government ensures that its reform provides answers to labor hardships -training and part-time work facilitated, readaptation permits, individual monitoring of employees exposed to risks…-, but the unions consider them very insufficient. And Eliane is not very convinced.
“We work at night, weekends, holidays, we can no longer take vacations when we want due to lack of personnel,” he lists. “And now we are expected to extend our difficult careers? We are laughing at the world!”
At the age of 23, Maïa juggles her job as a temporary worker in a library and her studies in art history. Despite everything, the young Parisian believes that she no longer has “visibility on the future”, she believes.
“Studies are very good, but it makes us enter the world of work more and more late… We demand longer and longer university degrees and, nevertheless, the careers are less and less linear and less easy.”
Between her late incorporation into the professional world, the precariousness of the labor market and the announced reform, the young woman fears that she will not be able to access “a retirement worthy of the name.” The government claims that her project is essential to “save our system” for current and future generations.
Source: BFM TV
