A week after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron, May Day parades will be organized all over France on Sunday. A call for demonstrations was notably launched by the CGT, UNSA, Solidaires, the FSU and student and high school student unions for this Labor Day which falls between two major electoral events.
After a split electorate in the first round and a duel in the second round which left many French people hungry, the demonstration on May 1 has a fairly strong symbolic importance », Estimates Murielle Guilbert, co-delegate of the Solidaires union. ” We are coming out of a particularly painful electoral episode, with the risk of the far right and trade union coming to power, that is what we particularly feared. But there is also the idea that we must reshuffle the cards because we cannot start over five years of macronism as we have already experienced it. »
” Not a mandate for further social regression »
While the political class has its eyes fixed on the legislative elections described as third round by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, unsuccessful candidate in the race for the Élysée, the unions are therefore preparing their third round in the street. ” We are convinced that May 1st is the first date of mobilization between the presidential and the legislative elections, explains Catherine Perret, confederal secretary of the CGT. This is of crucial importance to repeat to the President of the Republic that of course he is re-elected, but that he does not have the mandate for new social regressions. It is of course very important that there are many people on May 1 to give a sign of what the future mobilizations will be in the coming weeks, if Emmanuel Macron decides to open hostilities. “.
Pension reform
In the crosshairs of the unions, there is pension reform. No more question of a total overhaul of the system which caused weeks of disputes at the end of 2019, early 2020. The new version still strikes a sensitive chord. ” We are going to say that we are totally opposed to raising the retirement age to 65 “Recalls Catherine Perret, who emphasizes that this is not the only reason for dispute.
Another campaign promise that worries the unions, the conditioning of the RSA, the active solidarity income, to a certain number of hours of work desired by Emmanuel Macron.
Murielle Guilbert also draws up a Prévert-style list of expectations: “ on purchasing power, on social protection, on the establishment of public services throughout the territory, on a hospital with a sufficient number of caregivers “.
Concerns about the climate emergency and the war in Ukraine should also be heard.
The 1st of May more and more shunned
But not sure despite everything that this May 1st attracts crowds. The CGT remains optimistic and is counting in particular on the mobilization of young people. Other unions are more cautious. Moreover, Dominique Andolfatto, professor of political science at the University of Burgundy and author ofAnatomy of trade unionism, notes a lesser interest of the French for Labor Day. ” The 1st of May, these days are demonstrations that no longer mobilize muchhe points. There are hardly more than trade unionists who demonstrate and not all trade unionists. If we look at what happened during the last May 1st, there are hardly more than a hundred thousand people demonstrating throughout France, and that’s not a lot. »
However, the health crisis has complicated contact between unions and employees, and this year Labor Day falls in the middle of school holidays for Paris. That said, the demonstrations could mobilize beyond the unions, those disappointed with the presidential election. ” This May 1st can be an opportunity for these voters, for Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his party, La France insoumise, to mobilize. This could be a kind of second round “, believes Dominique Andolfatto.
In addition, on social networks, some accounts attributed to “yellow vests” are calling for demonstrations.