Amid deafening silence from the French radio and television media, on Thursday 22 January the National Assembly is set to examine a bill supported by the ‘Republican’ Right, supported by Macronist MPs and Le Pen's National Rally, aimed at extending work on 1 May, calling into question the only public holiday, an international symbol of social struggles for dignity and equality for workers.
Beyond its contempt for employees, this bill paves the way for further attacks on the right to leave by proposing wage compensation rather than wage increases.
The European coordination of the International Union of Pensioners and Retired Workers of the WFTU supports the CGT's call to mobilise on Thursday 22 January at 10am in front of the National Assembly in Paris and calls on its affiliated unions, particularly in Europe, to support the workers of France and protest against this despicable bill.
21 January 2026
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Luc Wajs
UIS of Pensioners and Retired Workers
Coordinator for European countries
World Federation of Trade Unions
