Two days before a second day of action against the reform, the government will not bend on the postponement to 64 of the retirement age, assured the Minister of Transport.
“Explain, defend and convince.” This is the government’s triptych on pension reform and hammered out this Sunday on the set of the Grand Jury RTL-Le Figaro, by Transport Minister Clément Beaune. On the eve of the examination of the text in committee at the Assembly, “the heart of the project” – the postponement of the retirement age from 62 to 64 – do not go “change”assured Clément Beaune. “No reform before this one has taken into account the difference in situations so much”he pleaded.
During the parliamentary debate that the executive wants “fair and serene”the text could however be modified at the margin. “Many amendments are being discussed”continued the Minister, while denouncing “parliamentary filibuster” orchestrated by France rebellious. With more than 3,000 amendments tabled – 7,000 for the Nupes -, the rebellious deputies adopt according to Clément Beaune “a position of restlessness and disorder”.
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In the sights of the Minister of Transport, these oppositions are also accused of spreading “a lot of fake news and misinformation”. On a surprise trip to her Calvados constituency, the Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also denounced on Saturday the “disinformation” surrounding his bill. “I hear people who still say today on the extreme left the retirement at 60 years. It must be said that it is 85 billion euros of additional debt for the French“, for his part castigated Clément Beaune. But the strategy of “pedagogy” deployed by the executive is struggling to bear fruit: 63% of French people continue to support the mobilization against the reform according to the Odoxa-Backbone poll for Le Figaro. Despite the success of the first day of action of the January 19Clément Beaune felt that the government did not “lost the battle of opinion”. “Fortunately, we don’t govern according to the polls.“, he defended.
HAVEALSO – Strike of January 31: Clément Beaune foresees a “difficult or even very difficult” day in transport
A dark day in transport
This broad support of the French for the strikers could, according to him, switch in the event of “blockages”especially during the February holidays. “To waste the weekends of departure or return from vacation (…), it is not serious”, he lamented. At the dawn of the new strike day, January 31, the Minister of Transport thus anticipated “a difficult day in public transport” with “strong disturbances”. Regardless of the strength of this second mobilization – which aims to once again exceed one million demonstrators – the government will not flinch in the face of the street, said the minister. “We do not index a reform on this or that mobilization (…), the temptation of the weather vane would lead us towards great inconsistency“, he warned.
