No doubt you've heard about the grèves (strikes) in France.
They are frequent, apparent in every French city, and touch almost every facet of everyday life--if there's a strike, you'd better count on a different mode of transportation besides the bus or train, and you may not even have class.
Such was the case on Tuesday this week. There was a massive manifestation (demonstration) downtown, so everyone who could afford to take an unpaid day off gathered in the streets to march for (or against) retirement reform. My teacher decided to march instead of going to work, so I went to check out the manifestation as well.
I have never seen so many people act so nonviolently and yet so passionately for a social cause. There weren't even any police officers present--there was no need for them. Only syndicate workers lined the streets every few blocks, keeping a liberal count of the turnout. Check out my photo album to get an idea of the crowd.
Unlike in America, the people here strike to keep their social protections, not to fight for higher wages. Anyone, even kids, can march in the manifestations. And they do. Teens will often close their own high schools, and not as an excuse to slack off with schoolwork. The French see it as their social responsibility to participate in the strikes. To them, missing a day of school or work is trivial compared to the potential consequences of lying dormant in the face of higher taxes and fewer benefits.
The problem with retirement reform in France is this: people are working longer and harder for later retirement and a smaller monetary reward. Normally, you'd start working in your early twenties, spend 37 years contributing a small portion of your salary to the collective retirement fund, and retire at age 60. But with the high unemployment rates and aging baby boomers, things simply can't continue that way. Because many people now don't start their careers until their mid- or late twenties, they either spend fewer years contributing to the retirement fund, or they are forced to retire later. If you're lucky enough to have a job, you contribute more money to the fund to make up for those who are unemployed and can't contribute. There are also fewer contributers than there are retirees, meaning each worker is basically paying the entirety of someone else's retirement.
The French government has proposed raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 years, with the latest age being 67 (a two-year increase from the previous 65). The length of monetary contribution for workers would be 41.5 years, and taxes would increase from 7.85% to 10.55% in 2020.
France is in a pickle!
But whether you favor or oppose retirement reform, this problem will touch everyone eventually--which is why active participation in politics is essential, even for the kids. As I walked for almost an hour and a half with the citizens of Pau, I was shocked at how natural the manifestation seemed. Despite the impassioned signs and flyers, the drums and horns, the berets, and the issue at hand, friends still greeted each other with la bise (a kiss on each cheek). Store owners stood outside to watch the crowd pass. People snapped pictures. In America, something like this would end in broken glass, fires, and police brutality. Or no one would show up at all, and people would show up at work or school and bitch about how terribly our country is run with other social deadbeats.
Tomorrow there will be an assemblée générale in front of the University. Students will skip class to gather and discuss the retirement problem. Regardless whether a conclusion is reached, the French will continue to show their interest in political issues, and I will continue to take pictures and marvel at how different things would be at home.
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