French president Emmanuel Macron and his Élisabeth Borne-led government, unsure whether they would have a majority to win a vote on its pension reforms, have finally resorted to using the constitutional article 49:3 to force through the breakup of pensions without a vote of the National Assembly. Plans include raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The French government subsequently and narrowly survived a vote of no confidence.
Mobilisations in opposition have been massive. Thousands of people have demonstrated all over France, very determined, with some chanting “Macron démission!” (Macron, resign!).
The powerful struggle and strikes that have been going on since January put the working class back on its feet and put pressure on the MPs, leaving Macron and Borne unable to secure enough votes. It is the use of 49:3 that marks Macron’s isolation and the lack of support for his policies. The next national strike day is 23 March.
Below is the text of the Gauche Révolutionnaire (CWI France) leaflet given out during protests as Macron forced through the law on 16 March.
After the use of constitutional article 49:3, by our mobilisation, we can defeat Macron and the capitalists. Let’s get organised!
Opposition to the retirement law has not weakened, quite the contrary. The gigantic demonstrations, the strikes by the hundreds, confirm a complete rejection of Macron and all his policies in the service of the rich. The working class is raising its head.
This reform has been a very big last straw for many of us. Big business has reaped €172 billion in 2022 thanks to his policies. The money is there to solve all social problems! So we say stop! We do not want to put up with the unemployment of the old and the suffering of the young, the dismantled public services, the low wages while prices and profits are exploding… and the permanent authoritarianism of Macron.
49:3: Macron and the capitalists are feverish
He tries to appear inflexible, but in reality he is very weak. The strike has again shown that his policies have no support among the population. It is explosive. The use of 49:3 shows that Macron has, in a way, already lost. The workers and the youth have raised their heads!
All our urgent demands are now on the table: for higher wages, price freezes, the repeal of anti-unemployment laws, racist laws… and the struggles will continue.
The strikes show that it is the workers who run the companies, the buses, the trains and the whole of society, not the handful of the super-rich and the politicians who serve them. They show the social strength of the workers when they collectively enter into struggle. This force has the means to change society, to get rid of Macron and all his policies. Enough of losing our gains one by one and being crushed by the capitalist machine and its dictatorship of profit!
Against capitalism, let’s fight for socialism
To satisfy our demands, we will need another government that will oppose the capitalists and their parties. A government that will have a firm programme, starting with the sinews of war: to bring into public ownership the big sectors of the economy that the big shareholders own today (energy, banks, large scale retail, pharmaceuticals and so on). This should be the role of a government born of struggle, that is to say of its general assemblies, together with representatives of trade unions and political organisations.
We want a society where we decide in a democratic way how to manage the economy, production and distribution, culture, education, health, and so on – a socialist society. It is by fighting for such a society that we will be able to lead this confrontation against the capitalists… and win!
Come discuss and organise with Gauche Révolutionnaire to fight for socialism!
