After October 12th, the movement against
the attack on pensions has reached a critical threshold. The great days
of action are no longer the centre of gravity, although they are still
massive and increasingly militant, as shown by October 19th. Now, the
central axis of the struggle has shifted onto open-ended strikes and
pickets blockading different sectors of the economy.

On Saturday, October 16, more than 3 million people took to the streets
of France in hundreds of demonstrations in cities and towns throughout
the country in the latest national day of action against the proposed
counter-reform of the pensions system. The number was on a similar scale
as October 2, the last time the trade unions called a day of action on a
Saturday but the movement has certainly developed further. The
demonstrations were another show of strength of this movement which has
lasted for months and seen 5 national days of action since the end of
the summer holidays.

The magnificent movement of the French
workers is an inspiration to the workers of all Europe. It shows the
real face of the French working class. Yesterday (Wednesday) strikers were
continuing their action for a second day running, following an
impressive day of action on Tuesday.