So, Sarkozy, who is about as popular as Bush was at the end of his second term, is pushing to move the national retirement age back (from 60 to 62) and the Frenchies are freaking out. To be fair, everyone understands that people are living longer and something's gotta give, but the proposed reform is very biased. Since people with cushy desk jobs stay in school longer, they might work (if they finish grad school at 28) 32 years while an ouvrier, a laborer, who starts working at 16 has 44 years of hard labor. The proposed reform does not account for this. It also gives less to women who take time off to raise their children, but I am unclear on the details there. Young people are also up in arms because it's already extremely difficult to get hired in France. They're counting on the geezers to move into maisons de retrait (retirement homes)and clear a space.
Anyway, this all means ongoing grèves(strikes)and lots of lots of manifestations (demonstrations). Le Chef and I headed over to one last week.
If only New Orleanians had turned out in such force for the oil spill protests!
The way the manif works is basically just a big marching parade with lots of red balloons (Glenn Beck would have a field day with that!), stickers, and bullhorns. Of course, the parade starts at - where else? - Place de la Bastille, the granddaddy of all sights of civil disobedience. When we were there, it was chalked up with slogans and anarchy symbols.Each syndicat, or labor union, has a truck, usually with a woman sitting on top shouting slogans and then going "Tous ensemble! Tous ensemble!" (Basically, "All together now!") The union members marching behind the truck, being French and very dignified, do not holla back.
The grèves only really effect study-abroaders when the workers at national monuments and the transit workers go on strike. When this happens, put on your walking shoes...
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