“I say it’s fair in the sense that sooner or later, we have to get there,” confides Henri when he talks about the pension reform. Having worked in the industrial sector, he stopped working at the age of 58 and a half. He had to wait over a year to benefit from a full-rate pension. Simone is 80 years old. She started working as a seamstress, without a diploma, at the age of 13 and a half. She was forced to wait until she was 65 to leave the labor market. “At 60, I was earning 200 francs (equivalent to 30 euros). They advised me to wait until I was 65. Then I got 1000 francs (or 150 euros).” Today, she lives on 670 euros a month and does not complain. To make ends meet, she allows herself no small pleasures, “if I can’t go to the restaurant, I don’t go.”
Dismayed
One thing is certain: the mobilization leaves cities unscathed. In Lyon, the Rue de la République seems to have been devastated by the passage of Godzilla, reports the daily newspaper “Libération.” Henri strongly denounces these gratuitous attacks: “We are in a democracy as our president said, but I do not agree with there being destruction, violence, stopping everything.” This strong mobilization reminds Simone of “May 68.” Initiated by Parisian students, France was agitated for a month. They denounced, among other things, capitalism and Gaullist moral austerity. This protest action was also characterized by violence.
Like her friend Simone, Henri also contests the attitude of the French: “We talk about a crisis but during vacation periods, the highways are full. It’s impossible to drive.” Of Moroccan origin, he recalls his beginnings in France: “When I started working, I was earning 500 francs a month. At first, I took any job. I loaded trucks. I first went to Lyon, then to Valence to work in the automotive industry and later in civil engineering.” A reality quite different from today’s. Simone adds: “There is work.” She is outraged that some prefer to choose their job. “Before, we refused nothing. My husband was never unemployed,” she adds.
Yesterday, the mixed joint commission (7 senators and 7 deputies) met to draft a compromise text on the pension reform. This will allow for a final vote on the bill on Wednesday. However, the unions are not backing down. Two new days of action are scheduled for October 28 and November 6, 2010.
