The modification, in two years, of the retirement age in Francehad been one of the axes of the campaign of the president Emmanuel Macron, who, determined to meet that objective at any cost, imposed the new regulations by decree, adding fuel to the fire of the protests that have been taking place in different corners of the European country for some time around this conflict. The Gallic senate had given him half penalty to the project with 62% of the votes, but convinced that it would suffer a setback in deputies, where the weight of the left is notable, the president advanced anyway. Here are five keys to understanding the conflict.
Why are pensions a political flashpoint in France?
The pension system is considered the cornerstone of the country’s social protection model. Unlike the UK market driven system (similar to AFJPs), France has a pension system that politicians call “solidarity between the generations”, so the active population to finance retirees (like the Argentine system). All French workers receive a state pension. France has the lowest retirement age for a state pension among the major European economies and spends a significant amount to support the system.
What are the pension changes proposed by Macron?
The general minimum retirement age will rise from 62 to 64 years, some public sector workers will lose privileges and there will be an accelerated increase in the number of years of work required to access a full pension. The changes were part of Macron’s manifesto for his re-election to a second term in 2022.
Had Macron tried to make changes to the pension system before?
Yes. In 2019, during his first term, he put forward a different plan to unify the complex French pension system. He argued that getting rid of the 42 special regimes for sectors ranging from railway and energy workers to lawyers was crucial to maintaining the financial viability of the system. But at the time, he didn’t want to raise the retirement age. protests against those proposals lasted longer than any strike since the 1968 work stoppages (the famous French mayo). Macron’s changes were eventually shelved at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Who has led the protest in the streets in recent weeks?
In a rare show of unity, all unions, including the moderate center, have led protests since the beginning of this year, staging some of the largest demonstrations in decades, which peaked last Tuesday when roughly 1.28 million people took to the streets. Transport workers, energy workers, dock workers, teachers and public sector workers, including museum staff, have all gone on strike.
A garbage collection strike continues that has caused the accumulation of more than 7,000 tons of waste in the middle of paris Unions say the reform will penalize low-income people in blue-collar jobs who tend to start their careers early, forcing them to work longer than graduates who are less affected by the changes. Opinion polls show that two-thirds of French people oppose pension changes and support the protest movement.
Why Macron advanced by decree?
Both houses of parliament had to approve the plans. The Senate, dominated by conservatives traditionally in favor of a higher retirement age, approved the changes by a vote of 193 to 114. But the main challenge for Macron’s government was in the lower house, the national assembly. When Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne failed to find a viable majority in parliament, Macron decided to invoke article 49.3 of the constitution and push through the legislation without a vote, mindful of the uproar and protests he might provoke. Analysts point out that this exposes the president and his minister to a vote of no confidence in which the government could lose.
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