The protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform bill, which has raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, will carry on despite the bill being a done deal and two no-confidence votes in the legislature failing to topple the government.
And so it continues.
Another round of nationwide inter-union strikes against the now-passed pension reform bill in France are coming on Thursday 23rd March, with transportation being the most heavily affected locally.
TRANSPORT
The SNCF and Nice’s Lignes d’Azur network have both indicated they will join in the demonstrations. SNCF disruptions are not yet known, but a timetable is expected to be put out the evening before Thursday to help commuters manoeuvre through the mess.
Lignes d’Azur has already announced there will be no trams and very few buses.
Tram lines 1, 2 and 3 will be stopped as will bus lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 57, 64, 70, 81, 99 and Cadam East.
The public transport service for people with reduced mobility, Mobil’Azur, will also not be running. Additionally, the Lignes d’Azur sales offices and all the Parcazur facilities will be closed.
France airports could see widespread cancellations as the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has already asked airlines to scale back flights at some airports due to the strike action by air traffic controllers.
Real time flight information out of Nice Airport can be found here for departures and here for arrivals.
EDUCATION
This sector is cause for concern as exams are approaching and many are wondering if they will be affected by the protests.
Unions “have chosen” to not call exam strikes, noting that those who have been gearing up for these tests have been working hard and deserve to take exams in the “best possible conditions”.
A joint press release from unions expressly states: “[The students] have been preparing for these tests with their teachers for several months, and very often experience the usual stress when approaching an exam. We therefore consider that it is necessary to guarantee them the best conditions for passing the tests.”
UNSUCCESSFUL NO-CONFIDENCE VOTES
Two no-confidence votes put forward Monday in the hopes of dislodging the current government, citing discontent for ramming through the pension reform act using Article 49.3 of the Constitution as the reason, have both failed.
The first from LIOT was a close call with a slim nine vote margin, but the second from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally missed the mark by a far bigger proportion.
The result means the bill is all but adopted, for now at least. The bill must still pass checks on its constitutionality, meaning parts could be invalidated before it is enacted.
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