France: Macron obtains constitutional permission to raise the retirement age

The emblematic reform pensions of the president of FranceEmmanuel Macron, will take effect quickly, officials said on Friday after receiving approval from the Constitutional Council following months of protests and strikes.

legislation, which raises the age to collect a pension from 62 to 64, it remains deeply unpopular, and spontaneous protests broke out on Friday when the Constitutional Council’s decision was announced.

Protesters gathered outside the Paris City Hall with banners reading “angerful atmosphere” and “strikes will not end until the reform is withdrawn”, in a sign that the verdict of the Council put an end to widespread anger against the reform promoted by the president Emmanuel Macron.

Some garbage bins in Paris said: “We are here, we are here, even if Macron doesn’t want to, we are here.”

Opinion polls show that a large majority rejects the policy changes, as well as the fact that the government passed the bill in parliament without a final vote that it could have lost.

“All the unions call on the President of the Republic to be sensible, listen and understand what is happening in the country and not enact this law”said the leader of the CGT union Sophie Binet.

In a joint statement, the unions said this was “the only way to calm the anger in the country.”

But the government ignored the request, telling officials that the text would become law in the coming days. French Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt said the law should come into force on September 1, as initially planned.

“THE FIGHT CONTINUES”

The Constitutional Council said the government’s actions were in line with the constitution and approved raising the legal retirement age, while peripheral measures aimed at boosting employment for workers were annulled for not falling under this legislation.

“The country must keep moving forward, working and facing the challenges that await us,” Macron said earlier this week, looking to move on to discuss other reforms.

But the opposition said it would not back down and the unions said they would not attend a meeting Macron wanted to arrange with them on Tuesday.

“We will not give up. There will be a great May 1,” teacher Gilles Sornay, 65, said at a rally in Paris, referring to protests planned for International Workers’ Day.

“The fight continues,” declared far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon.

On the other hand, the Constitutional Council rejected an opposition proposal to organize a citizen referendum on pension reform.

The opposition has put forward another proposal for a referendum, which is expected to be reviewed by the Council in early May.

Political observers say widespread discontent over government reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost to the far right.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Twitter that “the political fate of the pension reform is not sealed,” urging voters to back those who oppose it in the upcoming election.

Macron says the French must work longer or else the pension budget will fall billions of euros into the red every year by the end of the decade.

But the pension system is a cornerstone of France’s cherished social protection model and unions say the money can be found elsewhere, including taxing the rich more.

Although attention has focused on the retirement age of 62, only 36% of French workers retire at that age and another 36% already retire later due to the requirements that in order to contribute to the system one must they require at least 42 years to be able to claim a full pension.

That implies that the normal retirement age for a French worker aged 22 and over is 64.5, marginally above the European Union average of 64.3, according to OECD data based on 2020 figures.

Source: Reuters