Emmanuel Macron presses forward with pension reform as French discontent swells

Reuters
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French President Emmanuel Macron’s authorities will try to revive his financial reform drive and rating a serious political victory this week with a launch of the pension system’s overhaul within the face of vehement commerce union opposition.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is to element on Tuesday plans to make the French work longer, almost certainly by elevating the retirement age to 64 or 65 from 62 presently.

With one of many lowest retirement ages within the industrialized world, France additionally spends greater than most different international locations on pensions at almost 14% of financial output, in line with the Organisation for Financial Cooperation and Growth.

The reform’s passage via parliament won’t be simple. Macron lacks a working majority and might want to win over a number of dozen conservative lawmakers or use his constitutional powers to bypass the meeting, which might enrage the opposition and additional irritate the general public.

Pension reform in France, the place the fitting to retire on a full pension at 62 is deeply cherished, is at all times a extremely delicate challenge and much more so now with social discontent mounting over the surging value of dwelling.

The federal government says reform is critical to maintain the pension system’s funds out of the pink within the coming years, however a hit is also a political game-changer for Macron after he misplaced management of parliament final 12 months.

“The intention is to steadiness the accounts with out elevating taxes or slicing pensions. Numerous choices are on the desk, however all embrace elevating the retirement age,” authorities spokesman Olivier Veran informed journalists.

Macron needed to put the pension reform on ice in 2020 as the federal government rushed to include the Covid outbreak and save the financial system.

Now, he can rely on harder union opposition than in 2020 with even the reform-minded CFDT – France’s greatest union – threatening to protest, which it abstained from three years in the past regardless of misgivings concerning the reform on the time.

“If the retirement age is pushed again to 65 or 64, the CFDT will do what we’ve mentioned we’ll do, we are going to resist this reform by calling on staff to mobilise,” CFDT head Laurent Berger mentioned final week.

Requires walk-outs might discover extra traction this time with frustrations already working excessive over the lack of buying energy through the present inflation disaster.

Determined to maintain social tensions in examine, the federal government has spent tens of billions of euros to melt the blow of file energy and gasoline costs, which has saved French inflation decrease than in most different EU international locations.

Though latest strike motion has been restricted to particular sectors, resembling refineries and airways, outrage over pension reform might simply spark far broader protests.

The yellow vest motion, largely dormant since violent anti-Macron avenue protests in 2018 and 2019, held a march via central Paris on Saturday, although turnout was low.

Polls present pension reform is unpopular. Nevertheless, the federal government nonetheless believes that most people temper is extra inclined in direction of resignation than anger in contrast with 2018, Veran, the federal government spokesman, mentioned.

“We’re not reforming pensions to be in style however to be accountable. We’ll go all the best way as a result of it’s the one manner our social mannequin can survive,” he added.