France’s government wants to raise the retirement age. There is plenty of criticism for this on the street. Again there are mass protests and a big strike. Can they bring down the project?
Thousands have again taken to the streets in numerous French cities to protest against the planned pension reform. There were rallies on Tuesday in Bordeaux, Rennes, Montpellier and Toulouse, for example. At the same time there were strikes again – for example on the railways, in schools and in the energy sector.
France’s central government under President Emmanuel Macron wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. She wants to accelerate the increase in the required payment period for a full pension. In addition, individual pension systems with privileges for certain occupational groups are to be abolished.
Currently, the retirement age is 62 years. In fact, retirement begins later on average: those who have not paid in long enough to be entitled to a full pension work longer. At the age of 67 there is then a pension without deduction, regardless of how long it has been paid in – the government wants to leave it that way. She wants to raise the minimum pension to around 1,200 euros.
According to the government, the reform is necessary because the pension system is running into deficit. The unions find the reform plans unfair. According to the Interior Ministry, they took more than 1.27 million people onto the streets last week. The CGT union spoke of around 2.8 million taking part in strikes and protests.
In the meantime, the project has reached the plenary session of the National Assembly for consideration. The consultation is expected to last until the end of next week. The government does not have its own majority in the parliamentary chamber and is hoping for the approval of the conservative Républicains. But there are caveats there too. There is still no majority.
strike call
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
