It is for its part a fear that a threat

The figures are impressive, let alone for a beginning of September. Yesterday, the mobilization against the pension reform brought together between 1.12 million demonstrators, according to the police, and 2.73 million according to the CGT (the CFDT in Announces 2.5 million, South 3 million). Beyond the war of figures, a finding: initial hopes for the Government to rely on the passage of the summer and a calendar tightened to limit the challenge has run out. On the contrary, the total achieved in the mobilization of June 24 is widely exceeded, strikers rate progresses in the service state, in hospitals, schools and some public services (post, pole employment), transportation have been very disturbed and movement was more net private sector, even though it still contained.

"It is an important event," acknowledged last night on TF1 Eric Woerth. Nicolas Sarkozy should respond by this morning by the Council of Ministers, a "Declaration" on the "Advanced" on the arduous nature, that the Government is ready to do so, announced the Minister of labour. But on the merits, the Executive remains inflexible. Eric Woerth noted at the outset of the discussions in the Assembly (see page 3) and the Elysee confirmed: "one, will two or three events don't change nothing.". We will not reach age measures. The reform will be carried out because it is the future of the distribution plan. "To minimize the impact of the movement, the Elysee Palace, rightly points out, that"civil servants strike rates remain far from those of 2003.

Leaders raise the tone

Is that, in the end, never, or almost, the French were as much to pound the pavement against a pension reform: the record of 13 May 2003, is beaten according to unions, matched according to the police (the mobilization of March 2009 for measures dealing not is however not exceeded). Unusual and symbolic image: in Paris, the influx was such (80,000 according to the police) that the procession had to split in two. Same François - Marie Banier was there, playing for the cameras to photograph the flyers on the case of Bettencourt dotted the route...

This was needed not least Union leaders to raise the tone. "It is the social event of recent years." "The Government must realize that this reform cannot move," said Bernard Thibault (CGT). François Chérèque (CFDT) claimed "a strong signal" and "without preconditions" to "reopen the debate." Otherwise the Government could be expected by its inflexibility of "organizing the radicalism." It is, for its part, a fear that a threat. And the cédétiste leader to lead the way to exit from more peaceful conflict: "ago three weeks between the vote on the text at the meeting and his arrival in the Senate." Must be used to prepare another reform.

Scroll a weekend

This proposal being remained dead letter, the iron arm will continue. The intersyndicale (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, CGC, Unsa, FSU, and solidarity) meets today to announce a new day of action. Building on the success of yesterday, it considers possible and essential to strike a new blow more quickly than originally envisaged. Does the date will be aware that today ' hui but mid-September is: the earlier 15, date set for the vote of the members, or, more likely, Saturday 18 or Sunday 19. The CGT and the CFDT are tempted to do a weekend to also attract employees who are reluctant to lose a day's pay to scroll.

To register the challenge in the long term, their objective first facing an Executive on the shortness of the employees, they may also plan other future actions, in relying on the mobilizations against rigour provided on 29 September across Europe. But even if was prepared by the SNCF and the RATP unions are, the intersyndicale considering not, at this stage, to call for extended strikes.