Marrying the Social Unrest: The French Pension Protest March in Paris During the July 4 Budget-Baxter Reheating March

The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris — marred by violence, as were numerous marches elsewhere — drew 119,000 people, which was a record for the capital during the pension protests. The president wants to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 in order to keep the system afloat.

The march was planned a long time ago, as a way for left-wing parties to use the cost-of-living crisis as an opportunity to assert their power as the main opposition force. The organizers said on Sunday that they intended to build on the climate of social unrest in order to increase pressure on the government.

David Guiraud is a lawmaker from France Unbowed, a party that led Sunday’s protest. He added that the government could “no longer decide on its own.”

Mr. Macron finds himself in a perilous situation. He is simultaneously facing discontent over shortages at gas stations, along with labor strikes and a fierce opposition in the National Assembly, the lower and more powerful house of Parliament, which may try to bring down his government this week over a disputed budget bill.

Unlocking the World: The Realistic UK Flops are Hard to Get Around in December, and a Warning on Christmas Vacations in December

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The UK has tradition, cozy cottages and Christmas movies. It’s best to spend the holiday period in a thatched cottage like in The Holiday or have a romantic airport arrival like Love Actually.

This year could be the perfect time for it, too — the normally mild UK has seen snow even in southern England. A white Christmas could be on the cards for the first time in years.

Getting there is the only problem. Although the UK has not had travel restrictions since January, we still don’t know whether it’s a feasible destination this month.

Amid political chaos — the country went through three prime ministers in seven weeks, earlier in the fall — the UK is seeing industrial action on an unprecedented scale.

During the busiest Christmas getaway period from December 22 25 to December 30-31, highways workers will be striking, and then again from January 4-7 in various parts of the country. The strike “risks bringing the road network to a standstill,” says the PCS union behind it

And all this while the UK is battered by freezing weather, with roads snarled up by snow, and airports suffering flash closures and delayed and diverted flights due to ice.

It is, say experts, a toxic combination stemming from pandemic job cuts, the global cost of living crisis, the UK’s high inflation (thanks in no small part to Liz Truss, its prime minister of just 45 days), and a government that’s refusing to offer concessions to workers.

It’s really stress-inducing for people going to be with family during the festive period because they haven’t seen their loved one in years. We’ve never seen industrial action of this magnitude before, so we don’t know how bad it’s going to be.

Two friends of hers who were going to go to the UK for a short break because of the strikes decided against it.

She says that if you rely on public transport, your plans are not guaranteed to go ahead.

Christmas Travel Chaos: The UK Airport Security Challenge and its Implications for Airflight Passengers and Flight Propagators

The biggest barrier for those coming from abroad? Immigration officers will be at the border during Christmas period at six airports, including Newhaven port.

Suella Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, warned of “undeniable, serious disruption” because of the strikes and urged anyone flying to rethink their travel plans over the holidays.

The army is being put to man immigration desks as a contingency. Army personnel were watching the border process as far back as December 10.

The Home Office said that military aid to the civil authorities is a longstanding and established process that allows specialist capabilities of the UK armed forces to be utilized.

The government has advised airlines to cut their flights, but no one has done so yet, and only easyJet is offering affected passengers free rebooking.

“It could go really, really badly,” says Rhys Jones. The overcrowding in the terminal stems from the delays getting through the border and the airplanes being asked to keep passengers on board. It’s a snowball effect after that.

“Aviation works on planes being in the right place at the right time,” says Jones. “If aircraft are out of position, all of a sudden you have a massive network crisis.” The worst case scenario? “Knock-on effects for days.”

Jones, who correctly predicted that the baggage handler strikes would be called off last-minute, thinks that it won’t be a “total catastrophe,” but he predicts delays. Airlines have not canceled flights so far, and anyone with a biometric passport can use the e-gates. There will be a problem where you have to see an officer.

“If you have flexibility, and if it’s affordable, changing your flight means you’re taking less of a risk,” he says. “That said, if the airlines haven’t canceled flights yet, I’d hold fast.”

Rhodes says to arrive with a lot of time at the airport and not rely on public transportation. Travel insurance with cover for delays, or missed flights due to long lines, is also on her Christmas list.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uk-travel-chaos-december-2022/index.html

No Rail Strikes, No Omicron – No Trace, No Neighbors. No Cross-Country for the NHS

But no. The rail strikes are so major that they’ll cost the hospitality sector an estimated £1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) in lost earnings as people stay home, according to UKHospitality CEO , Kate Nicholls. The arrival of the omicron variant had a similar financial impact.

“This is the worst state the railways have been in in the 30 years I’ve been reporting on them,” says Christian Wolmar , railway analyst and author of multiple books about trains.

He thinks the situation was worse in 2000, when four people were killed and more than 70 were injured in a crash outside London, which showed up a horrifying lack of maintenance and accountability.

“The railway can only be changed very gradually, and needs to be done by negotiation,” says Wolmar. The railways have been damaged and it will take some time to repair that. The government is acting as if railways don’t matter much, and we can have strikes, because they are an essential part of infrastructure. The truth is, you can’t. The railways need to be acknowledged that they are important.

Politicians have made decisions about cost cutting and staffing numbers in the face of regular pay negotiations. “The government could solve this if it took a more sanguine view of what could be achieved, instead of mixing productivity deals with sorting out the wage rises,” he says.

“It has antagonized by mixing in a lot of [cost-cutting] demands. negotiate the pay rise with the cost of living crisis and inflation isn’t complex. They’re happy with 5-6%.” Inflation in the UK hit a 41-year high of 11.1% in October. Workers had been offered 5% in the first year and 4% in the second, plus a guarantee of no compulsory redundancy until 2025. One union, TSSA, accepted the terms on December 15. The country’s largest transport union, the RMT, has not budged, however.

The strikes could continue on and off for months after the Government refused to deny it scuttled a last-minute deal before strike action began.

The impact of the Brexit strikes on the UK’s tourism and leisure market: comment on Seat Frog CEO Iain Griffin, CEO, and Kate Nicholls

It added: “The tide is turning and it is clear to everyone that this offer is fair and reasonable, giving better pay to workers but delivering vital reforms to our railways.”

Iain Griffin, CEO of Seat Frog , which allows users to bid for cut-price upgrades on trains, calls the strikes’ impact “unprecedented — definitely the worst it’s been in my lifetime.”

It’s possible that this may affect the UK’s reputation as a travel destination. It was difficult to compete with other less troubled destinations because it was recovering from Covid chaos.

Turner, who deals with clients from all over the world, says there’s “definitely knowledge of it out there.” He has several hundred clients visiting the UK this month, and his team is working extra hours to create contingency plans.

Kate Nicholls agrees that it’s already changing habits. European visitors who come for a weekend won’t come, she says. “It feels like the whole transport system is creaking and it impacts on international consumer confidence that they can come to the UK and get around. We need to get the message out that the UK is still open for business — it might take longer to get around, but it’s functional.”

Thousands of protests against the government’s plan to raise the retirement age for most workers in France, and their impact on public transportation, rails and airports

French schools, airports and trains will face heavy disruption Tuesday for the sixth time this year, as unions galvanize people nationwide in protest against government plans to raise the retirement age for most workers.

Other major cities’ public transportation and high-speed trains were disrupted. About 30% of flights at Paris Orly Airport were canceled.

National railway operator SNCF said very few regional trains would operate and that four out of five trains on the TGV, France’s intercity high-speed rail service, would be canceled.

Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the CGT, the biggest French union, said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche Sunday that unions “are moving up a gear” and he expected “that the mobilizations will continue and grow until the government listens to workers.”

Thursday’s nationwide protests were the ninth union-organized demonstrations since January, when opponents still hoped that parliament would reject Macron’s measure to raise the retirement age. But the government forced it through using a special constitutional measure.

A record 1.3 million people attended demonstrations in France on January 19 that shut down the Eiffel Tower and halted the country.

The government has said the pension legislation is necessary to tackle a funding deficit, but the reforms have angered workers at a time when living costs are rising.

The French constitution will allow the government to push through budget-related bills without putting them to a parliamentary vote if there is no opposition.

Social and union protests against the retirement bill of the French king, Gerald Darmanin, during a high-energy trip to Bordeaux

Building on the strong turnout, unions swiftly called for new protests and strikes on Tuesday when the British king is scheduled to visit Bordeaux on the second day of his trip to France. The heavy wooden door of the elegant Bordeaux City Hall was set afire and quickly destroyed Thursday evening by a members of an unauthorized demonstration, the Sud Ouest newspaper said.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, visiting police headquarters Thursday night as fires still burned in some Paris neighborhoods, gave assurance that security “poses no problem” and the British monarch will be “welcomed and welcomed well.”

“There are troublemakers, often extreme left, who want to take down the state and kill police and ultimately take over the institutions,” the minister said.

After the retirement bill was passed without a vote, it angered his critics and led to demonstrations.

The social and union movement confirms the determination of the world’s workers and youth to withdraw the reform,” the unions said in a statement. It called for localized action this weekend and new nationwide strikes and protests Tuesday.

The violence that erupted in Paris, when police clashed with black-clad, masked groups who attacked at least two fast food restaurants and a supermarket, was overshadowed by the thousands of peaceful marchers.

Police used tear gas and charged at rioters multiple times after being attacked with objects and fireworks. A haze of tear gas fumes covered part of the Place de l’Opera, where demonstrators converged at the march’s end. Darmanin said radicals numbered some 1,500.

In the western cities of Rennes and Lorient, a building and the courtyard of a police station were set on fire, as well as in the southeastern city of Lyon.

The Outrage over a New Tax Cut and Other Measures: The Parisian Observer of the French Civil Liberation Law Revisited

In an interview Wednesday, Macron refused to budge from his position that a new law is necessary to keep retirement coffers funded. Opponents proposed to raise taxes on the wealthy and companies in order to hurt the economy. The retirement age increase needs to be implemented by the end of the year according to him.

The chief of a moderate trade union told The Associated Press that they are trying to find a way out before the law is enacted.

The Education Ministry said in a statement that about 24% of teachers walked off the job in primary and middle schools on Thursday, and 15% in high schools.

“Maybe our holidays won’t be that great this year because employees like myself, who work in public transport, are not paid on strike days,” said Monin, 46, who stressed that he worked in public transport. I think it is worth the sacrifice.

In the northern suburbs of Paris, several dozen union members blocked a bus depot in Pantin, preventing about 200 vehicles from getting out during rush hour.

In response, there have been strikes and street protests, some of which have resulted in violent clashes and destruction. This is why you might have seen images of trash piling in the streets of Paris, trains getting canceled across the country or cars burning during protests.

The US State Department advisory from October 22nd to October 29th is the same as before, and France is on Level 2 due to the threat of terrorism and civil unrest.

Travelers can avoid being caught up in the outrage if they keep an eye out for it. Most of the incidents involve relatively isolated incidents so travelers can not be caught up in them.

Paris City During the Counter-Strikes: Good and Bad for Pedestrians and Prosecutor’s Choices

In case of strike days, the Paris Metro is unlikely to run and up to 25% of TGV inter- city high-speed trains are usually canceled.

Most tourist attractions remain open, except on strike days. For instance, both the Eiffel Tower and Versailles were closed during recent national strike days.

While it’s still possible to travel to Paris and have a safe vacation, it’s unlikely that current visits will be unaffected by the ongoing protests – particularly when it comes to transport.

That said, as a vibrant city covering a sprawling Metro area that’s home to more than 11 million people, even during normal times, Paris can deliver the unexpected – good and bad.