Despite renewed mass protests: law on pension reform passed in France

Despite all the protests, the French government has now officially pushed through its controversial pension reform. The law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was published in the French official journal on Saturday. A few hours earlier, the French Constitutional Council had approved the project. The constitutional authorities declared inadmissible a referendum hoped for by opponents of the reform. However, trade unions and the opposition called for further resistance. There were also numerous protests against the reform on Friday evening and Saturday night and dozens were arrested.

Protests broke out in Paris, Nice, Nantes, Rennes and other cities after the Constitutional Council’s decision. In the capital Paris alone, 112 demonstrators were arrested on Friday evening and 30 rubbish bins were set on fire, the television station “BFMTV” reported, referring to the police prefect. Photos showed burning garbage cans in front of Paris City Hall. There were also protests in a number of other cities such as Strasbourg, Lyon and Nantes and in Rennes the door of a police station was set on fire. There were already demonstrations and roadblocks during the day on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets against the plans in recent months. The reform must prevent an imminent gap in the pension fund. The retirement age in France is currently 62 years. In fact, retirement now starts later on average: those who have not paid in long enough to receive a full pension, work longer. At age 67, there is no withholding pension, no matter how long it has been paid – the government is holding on to that.

The law on pension reform must now enter into force from September. The unions still want to protest. They have called for new mass demonstrations for May 1.

“The battle continues and we must join forces,” said left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The Socialists announced a motion to repeal the law. “I appeal to the president: he must hear the overwhelming majority, which is against this reform, which divides the country among France,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said. France’s right-wing Marine Le Pen, on the rise over the pension dispute, called for the government and Macron to be punished in the next election. “The people always have the last word.” She wants to reverse the reform when she comes to power.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on Friday evening that the pension reform has now reached the end of the democratic process. “Tonight there are no winners and no vanquished.” The government announced that the pension fund would be in balance by 2030 with the reform. They now want to talk to the social partners about better working conditions and the road to full employment. (sda/dpa)