Direct – pension reform: in Paris, rallies are prohibited in Concorde

After activating 49.3 and ahead of the debate over motions of censure against the government, opponents of pension reform plan to use the weekend to vent their anger, as rallies, strikes and trash cans pile up.

In the wake of Elizabeth Bourne’s appeal to Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows a text to be adopted without a vote, except for a motion of censure, the trade union federation on Thursday called for rallies this weekend, as well as for 9-day strikes and demonstrations on March 23.

Follow the news of Saturday, March 18, live

4:08 p.m. – Several demonstrations in progress

A thousand people gathered quietly at the town hall in Le Havre. In Nantes, the blockade of the ring road staged in the morning had just been lifted. About 200 people marched through the streets of Mo with CGT leader Felipe Martinez.

In Paris, a parade runs through the Chatelet les Halles shopping center and station. A rally is also scheduled on the Place d’Italie at 6 pm, on the initiative of the CGT Ile-de-France. A demonstration is also taking place in Marseille, where LFI deputy Manuel Bompard spoke.

3:03 PM – The shutdown of facilities at TotalEnergies’ Normandy refinery began Friday night, according to CGT

The CGT General Secretary of the Normandy Platform, Alexis Antonioli, announced that the shutdown of facilities at the TotalEnergies refinery in Normandy “began Friday evening.” However, this shutdown will take several days and should not cause an immediate shortage of fuel at service stations.

2:36 p.m. — Tons of waste “fixed” in Paris, according to the town hall

The city of Paris reports that the volume of uncollected waste is “stable” in the capital, while the required garbage trucks collect the garbage according to the prefecture.

And on Friday, the city council estimated that 10,000 tons of waste were waiting to be collected on Parisian sidewalks.

2:16 p.m. – Gatherings at Place de la Concorde in Paris banned by police headquarters

Gatherings on the Place de la Concorde, as well as on the Champs-Elysées, were banned by the Paris police headquarters, after two evenings of demonstrations punctuated by incidents against the use of 49.3 for the adoption of pension reform.

“Because of the serious risks of disturbing public order and security […] The prefecture told AFP that any assembly on the public motorway in Concorde and its surroundings as well as in the Champs-Elysées avenue sector is forbidden.

12:53 p.m. – “filtration dams” on waste incinerators near Paris

Strikers at the three waste incineration sites set up by Paris are creating “filtration dams” to let garbage trucks through, a union delegate said, confirming information from Liberation.

The liquidation of the trucks will take place in Issy-les-Moulines (Haut-de-Seine) on Saturday and Sunday, and then in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis) on Monday and Tuesday, according to Fatiha Lariche, representative of the CGT union. From the Issy-les-Moulineux website. She explains that allowing trucks to pass is “a security decision to reduce the risks of the spread of the epidemic.”

10:58 a.m. — After the garbage collectors, the strainers can be grabbed if they stop

Industry Minister Roland Lescure suggests that the government could Make purchase orders In the event of the closure of the refineries by the employees striking for the reform of the pension system.

At least two refineries, Petronius’ refinery in Lavira (Bouchets-du-Rhône) and TotalEnergies’ Normandy refinery in Gonfreville-l’Orcher (Manche), could close from this weekend and later Monday, according to CGT. So far, strikers have contented themselves with blocking fuel shipments, but refineries have kept producing.

9:45 am – Philippe Martinez: “We have been warned” by Emmanuel Macron about the dangers of stress

“In a message we asked to receive, we mentioned the explosive situation between black and white,” Philip Martinez confirms in the Europe 1 meeting, which sparked the clashes on Friday. “No one can tell us or respond that we did not inform the president,” confirms the Secretary-General of the General Federation of Workers.

9:16 a.m. — 37% on strike at TotalEnergies refineries and depots

A spokesman for the oil group told Reuters that about 37 percent of workers in Total Energy refineries and depots in France are on strike this morning.

The employees of the TotalEnergies refinery in Donges (Loire-Atlantique), meeting at a general meeting on Friday, decided, for their part, to renew the strike for an additional week, until March 24, on the call of the joint unions CGT-FO -CFDT, the report “West France”.

» Basic information for Friday

> The government faces two censure requests after 49.3

Two moves was introduced. If the national caucus is doomed, the small LIOT group, which wants to be partisan, has more chances on paper. But that will depend on the goodwill of the House of Representatives.

> Many teachers’ unions are calling for a strike starting Monday

A trade union called Friday night for a monitoring strike during Baccalaureate exams that start on Monday. Additional supervisors have been mobilized, the Ministry of National Education confirms.

> SNCF unions demand the continuation of the renewable strike

started on March 7, The renewed strike All four representative federations must continue in the SNCF after Friday’s renewal call. They also want to make March 23 the “climax” of the protest.