Strikes, protests across France test government plan to raise retirement age

Workers in several French cities took to the streets on Thursday to protest proposed pension changes that would push up the retirement age, amid days of national strikes and protests seen as a major test for Emmanuel Macron and his presidency.

Thousands of people demonstrated in the cities of Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, Lyon and other places as the attack disrupted transport, schools and other public services across the country.

French workers will have to work longer before receiving a pension under new rules – with the nominal retirement age rising from 62 to 64. In a country with an aging population and growing life expectancy where everyone receives a state pension, Macron’s government says these reforms. it’s the only way to keep the system solvent.

Unions argue that the review of pensions threatens hard-fought rights, and proposes a tax on rich or other payroll contributions from employers to finance the pension system. Polls show most French people also oppose the reforms.

More than 200 rallies are expected in France on Thursday, including a rally in Paris involving all of France’s major unions.

Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union, called the government’s plan an “unfair” reform of BFMTV, and called on workers to “come peacefully (to the streets) to disagree.”

A police union opposed to pension reform is also involved, while those on duty are preparing for potential violence if extremist groups join the demonstration.

Flights, trains are cancelled

The majority of trains in France were cancelled, including some international connections, according to rail authority SNCF. About 20 percent of flights from Paris Orly Airport were canceled and airlines warned of delays.

Electricity workers have vowed to cut power supply as a form of protest.

The Ministry of National Education says that between 34 and 42 percent of teachers are on strike, depending on the school. The high school student union is expected to join the protest.

Thierry Desassis, a retired teacher, called the government’s plan an “aberration”.

“It is at 64 that you start having health problems. I am 68 and in good health but I have started to see the doctor more often,” he said.

Tourist attractions are affected

The attack also affected several monuments. The Palace of Versailles was closed on Thursday while the Eiffel Tower warned of potential disruption and the Louvre Museum said some exhibition rooms would be closed.

Many French workers expressed mixed feelings about the government’s plans and pointed to the complexity of the pension system.

Selim Draia, 48, an animation artist, said some changes may be needed “but it’s too fast to pass like this – I think the country is divided and polarized enough to take the time to talk.”

Quentin Coelho, 27, an employee of the Red Cross, felt he had to work on Thursday despite knowing “most of the strikers’ demands.” With the country’s aging population, he said, raising the retirement age “is not an efficient strategy. If we do it now, the government may decide to increase it again in 30 or 50 years from now. We cannot predict. .”

Coelho said he doesn’t trust the government and has saved money for retirement.

Liliane Ferreira Marques, a 40-year-old Brazilian saleswoman from Boussy-Saint-Antoine, south of Paris, said she supported the strikers’ demands but could not go on strike because she “wasn’t paid the minimum wage.”

French Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt acknowledged the “concern” prompted by the pension plan which would require “additional efforts” from workers. He called on the attackers not to hinder the country’s economy.

“The right to strike is freedom, but we don’t want a blockade,” he said, on LCI television.

Dussopt justified the choice to push up the retirement age as the government rejected other options involving tax hikes – which he said would damage the economy and work costs – or reduce the amount of pensions.

Bill came there

The French government officially presented the pension bill on Monday and it will go to parliament next month. Their success will depend in part on the scale and duration of the strikes and protests.

The planned changes provide that workers must have worked for at least 43 years in order to receive a full pension. For those who do not meet these requirements, like many women who interrupt their careers to raise their children or who study for a long time and start working late, the retirement age will remain unchanged at 67.

Those who started working early, under the age of 20, and workers with major health problems will be allowed to retire early.

The ongoing attacks have fueled Macron’s last-ditch effort to raise the retirement age in 2019. He eventually backed down after the COVID-19 pandemic.