Women’s rights at the heart of the fight over pensions in France.
“This year’s International Working Women’s Day in France holds special significance because of a nation-wide call by trade unions and people’s movements to bring the country to a standstill from March 7
For the first time in the history of France, trade unions have called for a two-day general strike that will extend to March 8, International Working Women’s Day. The general mobilization will begin on Tuesday, March 7, and it is expected to cause widespread protests all over the country. This is the first time since May 1968 that trade unions have issued a joint call for a general strike that will last for more than 24 hours.
While actions for March 8 have grown in strength over the past years, this year’s mobilizations are expected to be particularly powerful. For the first time, it is social movements as a whole, and not the feminist movement alone, that is calling for the strike on International Working Women’s Day. This is an essential element in the reinforcement of the fight for equal social rights, and a spark of hope for the future.
In recent weeks, there has been an unprecedented proliferation of initiatives and assemblies for the strike of March 7-8, as well as meetings to seek to connect them to other ongoing struggles.
Links between women workers’ and health rights
This year, International Working Women’s Day actions in France will be a tribute to all the workers who will be the first to experience the effects of Macron’s pension reform, many of whom are women, whose jobs are invisible, careers cut short, and salaries inadequate.
The income gap between women and men persists after retirement as well, according to the trade unions and student’s associations. “Twice as many women work until 67 years of age, the maximum retirement age, but they receive pensions which are 40% lower than men. Also, 40% of women are forced to retire early and thus receive only partial pension,” they said.
Trade unions and peoples’ movements are calling for a recognition of the link between women’s, workers’, and health rights on March 8. In a joint press release by trade union confederations including Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques (SUD), the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the National Coordination of Committees for the Defense of Hospitals and Maternity Hospitals, and collectives like Printemps de la Psychiatrie, the movements are calling for unity on March 7 and 8 against the pension reform.
“On March 7 and 8, let us stand united to block the unacceptable pension reform and the policies that are destroying our health and social security systems,” said the associations in their press release.”