Darmanin said that five thousand would be on duty in Paris to prevent a repeat of the riots of the previous day. The Interior Ministry expects between 600,000 and 800,000 demonstrators in about two hundred cities, including 40,000 to 70,000 demonstrators in Paris.
President Emmanuel Macron intends to implement the reform throughout the year, the main measure of which is to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The unceasing strike of strategic sectors, which began more than two weeks ago, continues to have its effects mainly in oil refineries and waste transport, but on Thursday Those working in railroads and public transportation, as well as in education, would also work. to stop.
Oil refinery workers have been blocking access to and from oil storage tanks for more than two weeks, so the situation at filling stations is gradually deteriorating. On Wednesday, 14.3 percent of the country’s 11,000 gas stations were short of some fuel, and 7 percent had no fuel at all. Only 12 percent of wells experienced problems on Tuesday, and 4 percent at the end of last week. The strikers occupied eight of the two hundred oil depots, but they are the most important in the country.
Only one of France’s four TotalEenergies refineries was producing on Wednesday. Esso-ExxonMobil’s two oil refineries are still producing, but deliveries from its fuel depots were halted after strikers occupied the plants.
According to the France24 news channel summary, fuel shortages currently affect a fifth of the provinces, especially in the southern part of the country, where every well has problems, and therefore in the southern provinces (Gardes, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var) the provinces have reduced fuel to 30 liters, as it limited the amount of fuel that could be purchased at one time. According to the government, there are enough reserves in the fuel depots for at least two months.
On Wednesday, the authorities obligated the workers of an oil refinery to start work for the first time in order to avoid fuel shortages, specifically in the south, in Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille. The decision caused great anger among the strikers, some of whom dealt blows to the police, who broke the siege and dispersed the disaffected workers with tear gas.
In Paris, the strike of waste carriers has continued for the 17th day, and some waste incinerators around the capital are also not working. According to the Budapest Municipality, nearly 10,000 tons of waste have accumulated on the sidewalks. Meanwhile, in some areas, municipalities have hired private companies to transport waste in recent days.
According to teachers’ unions, 40-50 percent of teachers will not have their lessons on Thursdays,
About half of the trains will be running, and on urban public transport, trains will only run during the morning and afternoon peak hours.
The Directorate of Civil Aviation asked airlines to cancel 30 percent of their flights at Orly Airport in Paris in advance. and 20 percent at rural airports due to the air traffic controllers’ strike. According to opinion polls, two-thirds of the French do not support the pension reform, which was approved by bypassing the vote of the National Assembly.
Cover image: Getty Images
