After protests: Controversial pension reform in France comes into force

In France, President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform has come into force after months of sometimes violent protests. There were no major rallies at the start of the reform, which would gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

At a meeting a few days ago, the new head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, asked Macron to organize a referendum on pension reform. Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt visited a regional office of the pension insurance in Mulhouse, Alsace, on the occasion of the entry into force on Friday.

Closed against the reform

The trade unions had taken a united front against the reform and organized mass protests with hundreds of thousands of participants. The rallies sometimes turned violent after the government pushed the reform through parliament without a vote after a turbulent debate. The presidential camp, which does not have an absolute majority, was ultimately unsure of sufficient support from other parties, hence the unusual step. The protests were accompanied by strikes on the railways and at airports. Garbage has not been removed from parts of Paris for weeks.

Macron actually put the sensitive issue of pensions on the agenda during his first term in office. After the so-called yellow vest protests, however, the corona pandemic came and the reform was called off for the time being. In the 2022 election campaign, the President then announced a second attempt and warned the population that everyone would have to work a little more. He originally wanted to raise the retirement age to 65, but then decided to raise it to 64 in the face of looming protests.

Many have already worked beyond the age of 62

So far, many people in France have been working beyond the age of 62 if they had not paid in long enough for a pension without deductions when they reached retirement age.

Macron justified the reform with an impending deficit in the pension fund. Because in view of an aging population, employees would have to pay for an increasing number of pensioners with their contributions – similar to Germany. In order to keep the level of pensions stable, the population would have to work a little longer.

With the reform, however, the monthly minimum pension is now also being raised to around 1,200 euros. In addition, special pension regulations will be abolished for a number of professions. In addition, the payment period for a full pension will be increased faster than previously planned.