Despite months of protests by trade unions, French President Emmanuel Macron passed his controversial pension reform proposal on Saturday, thereby amending the Social Security Code to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.
According to Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt, the law will come into effect by September, requiring those retiring to work for an additional three months to secure access to their state pensions. This extended period will gradually increase until the age of retirement reaches 64 by 2030.
Constitutional Council Upholds Reforms’ Validity
Macron passed the proposal as a law just a day after France’s apex court, the Constitutional Council, upheld the validity of the law.
While delivering the judgement on Friday, the court rejected opposition parties’ calls for a referendum on the proposal.
Footage from Lyon, France, where protests against Macron's pension reform took place the day before.
— Spriter (@Spriter99880) April 16, 2023
Just pay attention to the amount of tear gas used. pic.twitter.com/X6ndDmR71j
Nevertheless, it struck down certain provisions, citing legal flaws in the draft. This included the “senior index,” which incentivised companies with more than 1,000 employees to hire workers over 55.
The government said that this would help increase the employment rate among those over 50 to mitigate the financial impact of the increase in the retirement age. Union leaders say that the reforms struck down by the apex court made the law “even more unbalanced.”
Meanwhile, PM Elisabeth Borne said the court’s decision “marks the end of the institutional and democratic path of this reform.” Nevertheless, she said there is “no victor” in this situation since the whole country has entered a standoff.
Protests Continue
After the Constitutional Council upheld the pension reforms’ validity, protests broke out in Paris, with demonstrators lighting fires across the city. As a result, 112 people were arrested.
Protests were also launched in Rennes, Lyon and Nantes, with demonstrators calling the government’s actions “shameful” and “contemptuous.”
Paris, France 🇫🇷
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) April 8, 2023
The protests are continuing across France. More and people people are protesting not just about Macron’s pensions reform, but his entire approach to governance and the globalist agendas to reduce freedoms and basic human dignity. pic.twitter.com/jDwhG8O5n5
Far-right opposition leader Marine Le Pen said the reforms “will mark the definitive rupture between the French people and Emmanuel Macron.”
To date, labour unions have organised 12 days of protests against the reform since January. They said they would continue to protest the changes and called for fresh demonstrations on 1 May.
The pension reform protests have impacted several services nationwide, including transportation and education.
Meanwhile, Macron’s government has maintained that the reforms are necessary to prevent the pension system from collapsing and going bankrupt. It sidestepped a vote on the proposal in the parliament in March, using the government’s executive powers to pass the reforms as a decree.
Macron is scheduled to address the nation later today.
Retirement ages across Western European countries are higher than that in France. Italy, Germany, and Spain have increased the official retirement age to 67. Meanwhile, it stands at 66 in the UK.