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| Christmas travel in France likely to be disrupted as strikes continue | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Protests against pension reform enter third week as Macron hints at concessions | |
| French travellers are facing confusion over Christmas plans as a transport strike over pension reform entered its third week on Thursday. Some train drivers suggested they could continue striking over the holidays, potentially leaving people scrambling to reach their families. | |
| The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, held talks with unions and employers’ representatives on Thursday as the government sought to avoid a Christmas holiday pile-up of frustrated travellers on Friday and over the weekend. | The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, held talks with unions and employers’ representatives on Thursday as the government sought to avoid a Christmas holiday pile-up of frustrated travellers on Friday and over the weekend. |
| The president, Emmanuel Macron, this week indicated via his office that he was “willing to improve” his plan to eliminate dozens of separate pension schemes by creating a single points-based system. This left a window open for possible government concessions as negotiations continued into Thursday night. | |
| Unions are angry in particular at a new “pivot age” of 64 that workers would have to reach in order to receive a full pension, beyond the official retirement age of 62. | Unions are angry in particular at a new “pivot age” of 64 that workers would have to reach in order to receive a full pension, beyond the official retirement age of 62. |
| The standoff is a crucial test for the centrist president, whose planned overhaul of the pensions system was a key election promise. It is part of his pledge to deliver the biggest “transformation” of the French social model and welfare system since the postwar era. | The standoff is a crucial test for the centrist president, whose planned overhaul of the pensions system was a key election promise. It is part of his pledge to deliver the biggest “transformation” of the French social model and welfare system since the postwar era. |
| Nearly 12% of the country’s rail workers staged stoppages and about 60% of drivers were on strike on Thursday, less than the previous day. The SNCF national rail authority said about 60% of trains were halted on Thursday, down from 90% earlier in the strike. | |
| Street marches took place in Paris and other cities. Recent polls show a majority of people still support the strikes and protests, as they fear they will have to work longer in return for lower pensions. Past polls have shown broad support for Macron’s principle of streamlining the pension system but, amid confusion over the changes, many do not trust the government to carry out the reforms in a fair way. | |
| Even if the strikes ease slightly, maintenance and timetabling issues could lead to a knock-on effect on Christmas services. The ecology minister, Élisabeth Borne, who handles transport, said this week that 850,000 train tickets had been purchased for Christmas travel and that all would have a place on a train. | Even if the strikes ease slightly, maintenance and timetabling issues could lead to a knock-on effect on Christmas services. The ecology minister, Élisabeth Borne, who handles transport, said this week that 850,000 train tickets had been purchased for Christmas travel and that all would have a place on a train. |
| The SNCF said it could not announce travel availability between the 24 and 26 December until Friday. There were long queues at ticket offices in Paris as passengers sought to exchange tickets and take whatever services were available over the weekend, but some smaller destinations, for example towns in the south-west of France, were likely to see key services cancelled and very limited local trains or buses. | |
| The SNCF also said the strikes had led it to cancel France’s popular unaccompanied minor service on holiday trains, in which children aged between 4 and 14 can travel with a monitor. About 6,000 children will not be able to travel with the service over Christmas. Philippe Martinez, head of the leftwing CGT union, accused the rail firm of “political spin” by choosing to suspend children’s services. | The SNCF also said the strikes had led it to cancel France’s popular unaccompanied minor service on holiday trains, in which children aged between 4 and 14 can travel with a monitor. About 6,000 children will not be able to travel with the service over Christmas. Philippe Martinez, head of the leftwing CGT union, accused the rail firm of “political spin” by choosing to suspend children’s services. |
| Macron suffered a fresh blow on Thursday as the Paris prosecutor’s office announced a preliminary investigation into possible conflicts of interest by the official leading the pensions reform process. | Macron suffered a fresh blow on Thursday as the Paris prosecutor’s office announced a preliminary investigation into possible conflicts of interest by the official leading the pensions reform process. |
| Jean-Paul Delevoye resigned his post earlier this week after admitting he had failed to publicly declare all of his affiliations when taking on the pension project. | Jean-Paul Delevoye resigned his post earlier this week after admitting he had failed to publicly declare all of his affiliations when taking on the pension project. |