Faced with the fear of growing social mobilization, Elisabeth Borne defends her action

Regain control. As quickly as possible. After a trying week in which the government gave the impression of losing control of events, overwhelmed by the blockades of refineries while being embarrassed in Parliament by its own majority during the examination of the budget, Elisabeth Borne tried , Sunday October 16, to show that there was always a pilot in the plane. And that this pilot was her. “The government is taking action”assured the Prime Minister, guest of the “20 hours” of TF1.

A defensive position two days before a new social mobilization, scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, the scope of which the executive is still unaware of. Even if the “great march against the high cost of living and climate inaction”, orchestrated on Sunday, by the New Popular Ecological and Social Union (Nupes) confirmed the social tensions which are agitating the country. Bringing together some 140,000 people according to the organizers, 30,000 according to the police, the movement foreshadows, in the eyes of its main instigator, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “ the conjunction of popular mobilization, union mobilization and institutional crisis”. ” We are now drawing the construction of a new Popular Front which will exercise power in the country when the time comes.claimed the leader of rebellious France. “It is a question of restoring ardor in the hearts so that, then, it spreads”, abounded Sunday on France Inter the deputy of the Somme, François Ruffin.

On Tuesday, four employee unions (CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires) and four organizations representing youth (FIDL, MNL, Unef, Voix lycéenne) called for people to stop working to demand measures in favor of purchasing power and defend the right to strike – undermined, according to them, by the recent requisitions of workers in refineries. “This is an additional step, after the previous day of interprofessional action on September 29, to raise the balance of power in order to obtain wage increases”explains Céline Verzeletti, confederal secretary of the CGT.

Disruptions announced in transport

This initiative should lead to disruptions at the RATP, on bus traffic and on certain RER lines. At the SNCF, the movement was difficult to define, Monday morning, from the point of view of its magnitude, but it could prove to be stronger than September 29 and extend beyond Tuesday: “We are going to hold general assemblies throughout the territory to propose to the railway workers the renewal of the strikes”, explains Erik Meyer, of the Sud-Rail union. On the question of remuneration, “There is a real anger among us”he insists: “We are convinced that we must seek increases on our pay slips. » In nuclear power plants, the dispute, which has been going on for several weeks, is gaining ground, according to the CGT, which says that nine sites are now affected.

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