First modification:
The French National Assembly begins the debate for the approval of the controversial reform proposed by the Government of Emmanuel Macron. In turn, the unions have called multiple demonstrations with the aim of continuing to show dissatisfaction with the bill. Mass mobilizations are expected throughout the French territory for Tuesday, February 7 and Saturday, February 25.
France is experiencing the fifth week of national protests and strikes since the government announced the reform that would increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
Unions and parties from across the political spectrum have expressed latent disagreements regarding the bill and it is expected that the debate within the National Assembly will result in multiple modifications to the bill presented on January 10, if it is approved.
The pension reform is the flagship project of the second term of President Emmanuel Macron, however, his party -La République En Marche!- does not have an absolute majority in the Lower House of the French Legislative, so it will have to negotiate with the others political groups that make up the National Assembly to get their unpopular reform approved.
“We are going to move forward by extending the measure for long careers to all those who started working at 20 and 21 years of age. They will be able to retire at 63,” French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said during an interview with local media. With this, she gave indications of an open attitude to negotiations on the part of her party.
substantial reforms
The pension reform was announced on January 10 by the Prime Minister. The initiative consists of an extremely broad legislative package, the most notorious measure being the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years with a progressive increase that would reach the established age in 2030.
In addition, the initiative proposes an increase in the total years worked to receive the state pension. In this way, French workers would have to work a total of 43 years to make use of this constitutional right. All French workers have the right to receive a pension from the State, but those who do not meet this requirement must work until the age of 67 to retire without any penalty.
This mainly affects women who interrupt their careers to raise their children or workers who had long academic stages and started their professional career “late”.
Under current law, disabled people can retire at age 55 and workers who have suffered an accident at work can retire two years before the stipulated legal age under certain conditions. The reform would proportionally increase the years that these workers would have to provide to their respective sectors.
Emmanuel Macron’s government has explained the logic behind the reform initiative, arguing that the French pension system is currently unsustainable and that there is a need to save around 18 billion euros a year to sustain the scheme.
“Working more is going to allow future retirees to get higher pensions… by 2030, our system is going to be financially balanced,” Borne said when presenting the bill.
polarized initiative
Reactions to the initiative have not been favorable to the president’s plans. From the reaction of the largest unions such as the railway and aviation, which are the ones that have called for massive strikes for Tuesday.
Despite the fact that France has a relatively small union movement compared to other European neighbors – with only 11% of workers registered in a union – the “syndicate“They have a very powerful local convening power, which translates into pressure for parts of the French legislature.
The massive demonstrations in the last week of January in different cities such as Paris, Rennes, Marseille and Donges have jeopardized the daily dynamics of essential industries such as fishing, the metro service and the manufacturing industry. These demonstrations have managed to amplify the protest against the reform and reach the National Assembly.
Political parties of various kinds have also shown their rejection of the reform. The most critical focus of the reform comes from the French left, being the bench La Francia Insumina (LFI)one of the most vocal about it. “The pension plan is both regressive in terms of quality of life and economically unfair” means that it fundamentally goes against our vision,” said LFI member Sophia Chijirou at the Paris demonstrations.
Although the French left has been the one that has made the most modifications to the reform, other sides of the French political map have also been very critical. National Rally, the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, has also rejected Macron’s project and mentions that they are not willing to negotiate the acceptance of the plan.
Après avoir été élu grace à la gauche et à la France insoumise, Emmanuel Macron va tenter désormais, avec le soutien de LR, de faire passer la retraite à 64 ans. Les Français peuvent compter sur toute notre détermination pour faire barrage à cette réforme unjuste.
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) January 10, 2023
Uncertain future
“I’m 42 and my back is already damaged from carrying heavy loads all day. How am I supposed to keep it up for 20 more years?” said Ayed, a supermarket worker protesting in Paris. Workers like Ayed are not satisfied with the reform, they are not willing to give up more years of their lives for salaries that are getting lower and lower.
When asked about the retirement age in other European countries – higher than in France – Eric Schwab, a primary school teacher, replied: “What they don’t recognize is that Germans who do the same work as me earn twice as much salary and have classes half the size of the ones I teach.
The French working class is reluctant to accept the pension reform, they are concerned about their future and demand concise actions from their representatives to avoid accepting a package of measures that would affect the French proletariat too much.
Debate has started in France: While Macron hopes to win majority approval in the National Assembly, the labor force hopes that the remaining caucuses will exert pressure to modify the plan or avoid full approval of the reform.
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