Macron is doomed. The dancers at the Paris Opera have joined the French pensions strike, forcing the cancellation of several ballet performances. Their special pension regime, dating back to 1698, would be swallowed into a universal system if the reform goes ahead.
Time for Macron to perform a pirouette of his own? Details of the proposed reform will be revealed to union leaders this afternoon by his pensions czar, Jean-Paul Delevoye. Big concessions are likely. Enough to end the 5 days old rail and metro strikes? Unsure.
Interestingly, the strikes have been losing support among most categories of rail workers – except drivers, who have the sweetest pensions deal of all. Last Thursday when the strikes began, 55.6% of rail workers walked out. Today it was 17% - but 77.3% of drivers.
This was enough to wipe out four in five TGV’s – up from one in ten – and four in five trains in Paris suburbs. Services on Paris Metro are also edging upwards, as support for the strike weakens slightly.
The key will be the attitude of the rail branch of the moderate and pro-reform CFDT union federation. They have 20% of all SNCF drivers. They are striking at present alongside more hard-line unions.
CFDT rail branch says that it will accept the pension reform if existing workers have their rights guaranteed for life (a grand-father clause, even more generous than his son, Santa Claus). Will government concede on this point? Possibly.
