While a lot is made of the strikes shutting France down during Christmas week, it is interesting to note that it is a reaction to the latest moves by Macron against the working classes. And there are broad swathes of the country not really feeling the strikes at all.

What's Macron up to?
Well, France currently has a complex system of 42 different pension schemes for its private and public sectors, with variations in retirement age and benefits. Mr Macron wants to create a unified system.

Pension benefits are largely calculated using an employee's 25 highest-paid years of work in the private sector, while in the public sector it is based on payments made in the last six months before retirement.

The French president's new plan aims to reward employees for each day worked, earning points that would later be transferred into future pension benefits.

BBC Europe

Here are some points about the latest widely supported strikes (grèves) and protests (manifestations).
- Gillets Jaunes were a reaction to a hike in taxes to diesel (gazole) which disproportionately hit truckers, agriculture/farmers, small businesses, and regular folks needing cars and home heating. This tax hike occurred at the same time fossil fuel industries were being given subsidies and large corporations and wealthy, given tax breaks. It was immediately seen as unfair, and a burden too far.
- Now Macron is trying this move which in an aging population is very present in most French lives.
- For quite awhile Macron has been quickly moving to privatize as much of the public commonwealth as he could: Paris airports; parts of the trains system - high speed trains (TGV) - rail networks (SNCF) - and others. This is a continuation of privatization which has taken place under many administrations. Here is a list by country: go to France to see the companies and systems taken private. Wiki by decade privatization
He essentially said 'if I move quickly enough, I can stay ahead of the public notice and potential outrage against these actions.'
Reuters on privatization
- France has been largely stable economically and a smaller differential between a wealthy class and the average income worker. This has begun to change with austerity; bank bailouts and tax adjustments.
- Until now, the number of individual business owners (auto entrepreneurs, small enterprises and small manufacturing) scattered throughout France has been higher than anything we see in the US. These businesses keep small and rural communities afloat.
- When Sarkozy, raised the retirement age from 60 to 62, whole families from grandmas, down to kids asking 'where their jobs would be?', were in the streets in 2010, shutting down mostly refineries, trains, airports and other means of transportation. The police unions marched with the populace.
- Strikers are usually extremely polite, and will do anything they can to help people inconvenienced by their actions. But they are trying to get the attention of everyone they can.
- Presidents in France are elected for a five year term. For that term they are very king-like in their ability to move the country in specific directions. The next president can undo what has previously been done.
- Most people in France are comfortable if conservative in their buying habits and lifestyles. By and large, there is a roof overhead, good food and wine, paid for healthcare and education, clean cities and towns, good roads, and excellent rail service. Most don't travel far from home, enjoy good days and weeks off, working like hell when they are at work. No water cooler chats here.
- The squeeze is on though and many are feeling the discomfort of increased costs, less access to public services as Macron is cutting one third of public employees out of services to the public.
- This is by no means a complete list of difficulties or problems facing the nation of France. The EU complicates relationships of France with its workers and unions; difficulties with establishing sound eco practices regarding biocides, pollution, intercity train access, public safety net services.

Now an illustration why folks are so upset with the "points" system. We have a forty-two year old friend, who is an excellent stone worker (Yes the old crafts are still in use, with many people able to make things that are amazing and have direct links to centuries' old work.)

He is really beginning to hurt from his years as a trained, certified stone mason. There are many tilers, and builders who do hard manual work, but wear out long before sixty. Other occupations also burden the workers in various ways which tend to deteriorate the health and enjoyment of life for people in difficult positions.

The point system as it currently sits would penalize our friend who may need to retire from his profession basically because of pain. If it is going to work, some method of awarding points on a weighted basis might get the retirement system where it needs to be. Short of that, what we will all see, is people in the street.

Raising the retirement age only raises the unemployment age and rates for young new entrants into the workforce.

Macron has done his best to separate the police and national police from the populace by promising them a grandfathered guarantee of protection of their retirement. He is trying to splinter objection to his plans and to pit the guards and police, also firemen and first responders from the other workers. There has also been attempts to splinter the public sector workers from private industry workers.

This trajectory is accelerating all around, but is still some thirty years behind the US. It remains to be seen whether this round can be negotiated as the global elites have consolidated their power and push back against these protests.

I haven't covered this in nearly enough depth or with enough links, but it is a glimpse of what we see in France this week of Solstice and Christmas.