“The Prime Minister cannot continue turning a deaf ear to this formidable mobilization that has been created. Listen to this discontent that is being expressed everywhere”, Laurent Berger, leader of the CFDT union, urged her yesterday.
The progressive delay until 2030 of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years and the advancement of eight years to 2027 of the requirement to contribute 43 years to the system -and not 42 as up to now- to collect a full retirement crystallize the opposition to the reform.
The unions called for a new day of strike and protests for today and they expect it to be more massive than that of January 19, when, according to the government, more than a million people demonstrated – double for the CGT union.
Repudiation
The rejection of the project is also progressing in public opinion – 72%, according to a recent poll by Elabe – despite the government’s effort to present it as necessary to avoid a future deficit in the pension fund.
For the observers, the Government lost “the battle of public opinion” and must now focus on the parliamentary one. The rejection of some pro-government deputies and the right-wing opposition party Los Republicanos (LR) – favorable to a reform and whose support is key – casts doubt on its adoption.
The Assembly began this Monday the commission examination of the text, which will arrive in plenary session on February 6 before being sent to the Senate. Both chambers have until March 26 to rule. If they do not succeed, the Government may apply it by decree.
The retirement age in the second economy of the European Union (EU) is one of the lowest in Europe and, if the reform goes ahead, France would be closer to 65 years of Spain or 67 of Denmark.
Source: Ambito
