The debate on pension reform begins this Monday in the National Assembly, while the unions are calling for two days of mobilization on Tuesday February 7 and Saturday February 11. This is a crucial week for the government, which will have to resist the protest in the street and from the Nupes, on the left, and the National Rally, on the far right, in the hemicycle.
Before the start of hostilities, Elisabeth Borne tried to calm things down by opening the door to an arrangement on long careers. An initiative clearly intended to appease the Republicans. But that might not be enough: some right-wing MPs have already let it be known that they would need more to vote for the text.
►Also read: Pension reform in France: Elisabeth Borne makes a first concession on long careers
To avoid 49.3, Elisabeth Borne cannot afford a loss of votes, especially since in the majority also some deputies are dragging their feet and her Minister of Labour, Olivier Dussopt, is weakened by suspicion of “favoritism”explain Valerie Gasfrom the political service of RFI.
The debate promises to be tough since on the left, the Nupes tabled 18,000 amendments. It is not a strategy of obstruction. stupid and mean “, according to the spokesman of the government, Olivier Véran. As for the National Rally (RN), it plays the card of the debate in the Assembly to fight the reform, and is delighted that its motion to request a referendum has been drawn by lot against that of the Nupes to be presented to the vote of the deputies.
The RN presents its “ referendum motion »
The examination of the text in session begins precisely with the examination of two motions defended by these two camps this Monday afternoon. The first, defended by Nupes, aims to purely and simply reject the text. The second is the ” referendum motion of the RN which aims to submit, as its name suggests, the bill to a referendum. But it has very little chance of succeeding. The left has planned to vote against because it will be presented in the hemicycle by the National Rally. Enough to give grain to grind to Marine Le Pen in its anti-Nupes strategy, indicates Pierrick Bonnofrom the political service of RFI.
Because Marine Le Pen wants to embody the opposition to pension reform. In the ranks of the National Rally, we have already found the solution to the announced failure of the request for a referendum defended by the group. ” We will obviously put the rejection of the motion on the back of the Nupes by highlighting its inconsistencies “Warns a relative of Marine Le Pen. Because if the alliance on the left also calls for a referendum on pensions, its deputies refuse to vote on texts from the far right.
La Nupes in the sights of the far right
The result is that Nupes is in the sights of the National Rally. And even if their counter-proposals are similar, their strategies are radically opposed. Faced with 18,000 amendments from the left, the National Rally intends to defend only… 200. And above all, the far right still refuses to join trade union demonstrations, unlike the Nupes.
” It’s not in our culture “, summarized in the RN group in the Assembly. But above all, it allows Marine Le Pen to remain sheltered from criticism if the battle in the street becomes unpopular, while reaping the benefits of mobilization if the government backs down.
Anyway, this time is the moment of truth for the government. The unions have understood this well, they are calling for two days of mobilization this week, Tuesday February 7 and Saturday February 11, to increase the pressure.