It’s been 50 years since the events of May 1968, when France went through a period of civil unrest, and one year since the election of centrist reformer Emmanuel Macron as president. The country is marking these anniversaries with a series of strikes, rallies, and occupations in response to Macron’s economic agenda. Students, workers, and retirees are protesting, targeting trains, airlines, retirement homes, universities, and government offices. The protests have already cost the CEO of Air France his job: He stepped down after workers rejected his proposal of a 7% wage increase over four years (unions want a 6% immediate increase). This is not particularly surprising for a country known for powerful unions and a strong attachment to social rights.
Why Labor Protests in France Won’t Stop Macron’s Reforms
It’s been 50 years since the events of May 1968, when France went through a period of civil unrest, and one year since the election of centrist reformer Emmanuel Macron as president. The country is marking these anniversaries with a series of strikes, rallies, and occupations in response to Macron’s economic agenda. Students, workers, and retirees are protesting, targeting trains, airlines, retirement homes, universities, and government offices. This is not particularly surprising for a country known for powerful unions and a strong attachment to social rights. But, so far, this rallying cry is failing to mobilize the masses or significantly disrupt the country. Why not? For a start, despite the discontent in some sectors, the French economy is not doing too badly. A second reason the demonstrations are unlikely to thwart Macron’s reforms is that labor unions themselves are also changing.