French Trade Unions Vow to Keep Cutting Off Electricity to Thwart Pension Reform

PARIS (Sputnik) - France's trade unions will continue and expand the power cuts registered in a number of the country's regions the day before with a view to forcing the government to abandon a controversial pension reform, Sebastien Menesplier, the head of the French mines and energy trade union, said on Wednesday.

"[The recent blackouts in the city of] Annonay and [the French department of] Ardeche were symbolic for the labor minister [Olivier Dussopt, who was born there]. Actions will be expanded. We warned of a 'black week,' and now it's only Wednesday. There will be targeted shutdowns and reduced electricity generation," Menesplier said on the French broadcaster.

On Tuesday, mass protests against the government-proposed pension reform were launched in almost all sectors of France's economy, including energy and transport. Around 1.2 million people took part in the demonstrations across the country that day, the national police said. French media reported that several regions had been left without electricity, with some of them experiencing problems for several hours and others for a whole day. In particular, around 2,800 and 2,400 people faced blackouts in the southern departments of Drome and Ardeche respectively, and 8,000 people were left without electricity in the department of Lot and Herault in the Occitanie region.

In January, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. Under the initiative, the French authorities intend to gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64.

The reform has caused a wave of protests across the country. Since Borne's announcement, six nationwide demonstrations against the bill, including the March 7 rally, have already taken place.