The tenth day of demonstrations against the amendment of the French pension system witnessed clashes between the police and hundreds of protesters, coinciding with the deadlock between the Macron government and the unions. And the Minister of the Interior announced the deployment of "13,000 policemen, including 5,500 in Paris," in "unprecedented" reinforcements.
The tenth day of demonstrations against pension reform in France, on Tuesday, witnessed clashes between the police and hundreds of protesters, in light of the escalation of tension in the country, with the dialogue between the government of President Emmanuel Macron and the unions reaching a dead end.
In Paris, the security forces intervened to disperse a group of vandals after they stormed a grocery store and set fire to a garbage container before the main protest march reached La Nation square, according to Agence France-Presse correspondents. Police said they arrested 22 people.
The Paris police headquarters stated that the security forces fired tear gas to "disperse the demonstration" and allow "the fire brigade to intervene" and "facilitate the progress of the march".
Demonstrators clashed with security forces on Tuesday afternoon in the city of Nantes (west), where they set fire to a bank branch and targeted the administrative court, as well as in the city of Rennes (west), where vandalism took place.
Protests against the amendment proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, which specifically provides for raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, have worsened since the government adopted the text without a vote in the General Assembly, while motions of no confidence did not lead to the overthrow of the government.
Since then, the demonstrations have witnessed increasing violence, during which police and gendarmerie personnel and rioters were injured, as well as demonstrators and public buildings were burned.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the deployment of "13,000 police officers, including 5,500 in Paris," in "unprecedented" reinforcements.
Security forces faced mobilization that decreased by 20 to 40 percent, according to cities. In the capital, the CGT union announced the participation of 450,000 demonstrators, compared to 800,000 on March 23. For its part, the police said that about 740,000 demonstrators took to the streets in France on Tuesday, including 93,000 in Paris.
Government spokesman Olivier Ferrand confirmed on Tuesday that the government is "a bulwark against illegal violence", rejecting the union's proposal to resort to "mediation".
And the unions called on Tuesday evening for the 11th day of "strike and demonstrations" Thursday, April 6, throughout the country.
"We have the impression that no matter what we do, nothing changes," said Suzanne, a 21-year-old student who spoke to AFP in Lyon (center-east).
"They push us to the limits, but they will not succeed in breaking our resolve," she added.
The roadblocks, strikes and demonstrations for several days caused disruptions in fuel supplies in some French regions and on some roads and logistics depots.
Waste collectors strike suspended
Demonstrators disrupted train traffic at Gare de Lyon station in Paris, and on Tuesday the General Directorate of Civil Aviation asked airlines to cancel some of their flights Thursday and Friday, especially at Paris-Orly Airport, due to the air traffic controllers' strike.
More than 15% of petrol stations in France ran out of fuel or diesel on Monday.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles were closed due to the strike action.
Thousands of tons of rubbish are piled up in the streets of the capital, after more than three weeks of an open-ended strike by waste collectors.
However, the waste collection workers' unions announced the "suspension" of their strike, as of Wednesday.
Bad or good?
In a survey conducted by the Odoxa Group, only 30% of respondents consider Macron a "good" president, down by six percentage points in a month, while 70% of respondents view him negatively.
Despite the government's firm stance on reform, it stresses its desire for "calm down".
Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne has begun a wide-ranging series of consultations over three weeks with MPs, political parties, local officials and social partners if they so choose.
But the unions, who have warned of the protests turning into an out-of-control social movement, do not intend to back down.
On Tuesday, the secretary general of the reformist CFDT trade union, Laurent Berger, called on the government to establish a "mediation" in order to "find a way out".
And the Secretary-General of the "CGT" union, Philippe Martinez, announced that the unions "will send a letter to the President of the Republic" to ask him again to "suspend his project," while some left-wing opponents, including the leader of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, accuse the French president of "betting on his fading." social movement.
No mediation needed
The French government spokesman said, "There is no need for mediation," considering that the fate of reform is in the hands of the Constitutional Council.
A parliamentary source indicated that the National Assembly will hear in the coming days from Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan on the "management of maintaining order."
A new draft law in Germany to attract skilled foreign workers Know the details
Germany's interior and labor ministers have introduced a new bill to attract skilled foreign workers, by improving control over their entry into the country and easing some restrictions. The new law includes 3 tracks, all of which guarantee more flexibility for labor migration.
Two German ministers on Wednesday presented a new bill to attract skilled foreign workers, by improving control over their entry into the country and easing some restrictions.
Interior Minister Nancy Weser and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil said at a press conference in the capital, Berlin, that the new law includes 3 tracks, all of which guarantee more flexibility.
They said that the first path is related to university degrees, as any holder of a recognized academic degree in Germany will be able to practice any job in the future.
They noted that the "EU Blue Card" work permit would be available to more professionals with a university degree.
As for the second track, it relates to professional experience, and they added: "Emigration should be facilitated for skilled workers who have at least two years of professional experience, and have qualifications recognized by their country of origin."
The two ministers noted that it was "no longer necessary" to recognize professional qualifications in Germany.
In the context, the draft law stipulates that the third track includes the introduction of the so-called “opportunity card” on the basis of a points system, as qualifications and knowledge of the German and English languages, in addition to professional experience, are evaluated.
Points will also be calculated according to the qualifications person having relations with Germany, the possibility of marriage and the partner moving to the country.
This path will also allow people to work up to 20 hours a week while looking for a job.
"We are finally seizing the opportunity to put in place a modern immigration law. We will ensure that we bring skilled workers into the country that our economy has been in dire need of for years," the Home Secretary continued at the press conference.
For a long time, German companies have had great difficulties finding qualified specialists.
The number of vacancies reached about 1.98 million in 2022, the highest rate ever observed in Germany.
The shortage of skilled labor affects companies in a large number of sectors and regions, particularly in health and care, child care, information technology sector and many other productive and service professions.
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