French workers are already over Macron

Emmanuel Macron’s presidential honeymoon came to an abrupt end Tuesday, after one of the country’s powerful trade unions mobilized in a huge show of opposition to his controversial labor reforms.

Just four months after Macron was elected President, tens of thousands took to the streets in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Nantes. Protesters waved banners and lit flares, led by left-wing parties and the hard-left General Confederation of Labor (CGT) – France’s second biggest trade union.

Workers from the public sector, railways, oil, and power industries made up the majority of those marching against reforms that the head of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, has labelled a “social coup d’etat” that will give “full powers to employers.” The new measures, which the government plans to implement on Sept. 22, will allow small firms to negotiate directly with individual employees rather than through unions, provide greater freedom for employers to hire and fire workers, and introduce a cap on payouts for unfair dismissals.

Macron is now the holder of a dubious honor – no recent French president has faced major street protests this early in his term. It’s partly a reflection of the rapid pace with which the 39-year-old former investment banker has pushed through his proposals, using executive orders where necessary.

Macron campaigned on a pledge to reinvigorate France’s economy by overhauling France’s cumbersome labor code and lowering unemployment to 7 percent, down from its current level of 9.5 percent – about double that of Germany and Britain. It’s an agenda that has set him on a collision course with the country’s powerful unions, who have vigorously defended workers’ protections to the frustration of French business.

Although Macron wasn’t present to personally witness Tuesday’s protests – he is visiting French territories in the Caribbean battered by Hurricane Irma – he will be keenly monitoring events for signs the demonstrations could grow into a broader protest movement. Two of France’s other major unions declined to take part in Tuesday’s actions.

While Macron soundly beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, winning two-thirds of the vote in May’s presidential run-off, his popularity has ebbed since, with recent polls showing his approval rating at about 40 percent.

Macron further riled his opponents when he said last week that he wouldn’t “cede any ground, not to slackers, nor cynics, nor hardliners.” The remarks angered many on the left who believed the president was saying workers opposed to his reforms were lazy, although Macron later claimed he was referring to previous generations of leaders who had failed to push through the required changes.