About one million inhabitants of France on Thursday took part in national strike to make protest against the project of pension reform. The basic requirement of demonstrators - to withdraw governmental project of pension reform, having left the age of 60 years as retirement age.
According to calculations of organizers, only about 800 thousand people took part in similar protest action carried out in France on March, 23rd, "Interfax" transfers.
Reduction of pension age from 65 till 60 years which now want to cancel is perceived in general by the French society as one of the main social gains in François Mitterrand's presidency. This question is closely connected with problems of employment, wages and labour safety. The greatest activity is shown by representatives of the trades connected with heavy physical work. Mass demonstrations are accompanied by strikes of transport workers and teachers, ITAR-TASS informs.
- The idea of increase of pension age till 65 years wanders also on our mass-media space, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov noticed. - It's surprising at first sight that this idea causes less indignations in our society, than in French. Frenchmen have the highest average life expectancy in Europe, almost 85 years. They have something to lose, as retirement gives a chance to them to enjoy comfortable, normally arranged life for another quarter of a century. An average life expectancy of the Russian men is less than the age of retirement, plus pension is so scanty that all the same people are compelled to earn additionally being at that the most deprived of civil rights contingent of workers. Well, what's the difference, if I would retire at 60 or at 65 years, if most likely I will die at about 58-59? It is possible to prolong age of my retirement though till 100 years - what's the difference till what age I will not live to? Pension which will not be enough to live on - whether it bring me any pleasure? It's even better to die before not to rummage in a garbage tank being an old man. Especially taking into account the fact that it's in France demonstration in one million people can affect the government, while in Russia it can be done only by "mister Mauser". Other arguments always happen to be too weak and unpersuasive, that's our story. Only revolution can prolong life to millions future Russian pensioners. Though, likely, it will shorten it to someone...