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Strike action


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The French unions, utterly sidelined by the Gilets Jaunes movement have decided to make a big fuss over the reform of the pension system currently being worked on by the govt. They have thus called for a general strike from 5 December.

The main issue is that the govt wants to bring the 42 special pensions under one heading and to get people to work longer to get a pension, based on a points system, making some groups less reliant on massive tax payer subsidies, and to give bigger pensions to such groups as agricultural workers whose pensions at the moment are abysmal.

Thos who have worked less for higher pensions such a civil servants, rail workers and the postal service are of course reluctant to give up their comfy taxpayer funded privileges, whilst others who have independent funds that are largely in profit wish to be left alone as they would have to pay a hell of a lot more.

So, a perfect storm for Mr Macron’s government to deal with and an issue which brought down at least one previous govt, uniting both the public and private sectors.

So difficult to modernise France and to clean up, particularly, those who take so much out of the taxpayers pocket.

Be ready for disruption, guys.
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Yes, absolutely, Norman.

Macron will have to compromise somewhere but won’t be very keen to give the unions a victory though. One can see how he might manage the changes though.

To my simple mind it all makes good sense though why pension schemes which work well should be pulled into the change net I don’ really understand.

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Ah the complications of the french pension system. although I have to say that for the life of me I do not understand british pensions AT ALL apart from the state pension.

I have just been talking to a friend who has recently received their pension, and what a fight! Long career, which should have meant that they could leave a little earlier. By the time,the sorry xxxxx's of fonctionnaires got round to dealing with it our friend found out they could have left a FULL YEAR EARLIER, which is actually disgraceful. Our friend is already in their 60's incidentally.

Under the old rules they would have retired at worst at 60, but not now.

And this friend is furious about the pampered people who can leave at 50 with great pensions and now they are striking to keep this privilege.

The system has changed for many french people the majority. So why not these   xxx's. Train drivers for example, well, they hardly shovel coal and have physically hard and very dirty jobs any more, but apparently keeping a train on it's rails is so difficult and stressful that they have to leave early. 

Basically I understand why they want to cling on to their entitlement, but the only people they make suffer are those without such unfair advantages. They are basically disgraceful, but that is the french way, nez pah!

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