The French Senate on Wednesday approved the increase in the statutory retirement age from 62 to 64. It is the most important and controversial part of the pension reform that the French government has set its sights on.
After fierce opposition from the left-wing parties, the article was approved by 201 votes to 115. The right-wing parties have a majority in the French Senate. According to the French government, the pension system must be overhauled because it has become unaffordable, partly because of the aging population, which means that there are relatively many more pensioners.
The aim is to gradually increase the retirement age to 64 by 2030. In addition, from 2027, employees will also have to have worked for 43 years in order to receive a full pension. Several concessions were made during the debate on the bill in the House of Representatives. For example, French people who started working as a teenager will soon be able to retire earlier than at the age of 64.
The French have taken to the streets en masse several times in recent months to express their dissatisfaction with the plans. There were also major strikes in education and public transport, among other things. On Tuesday, according to the unions, 3.5 million people demonstrated across the country against the government’s plans. At least 260 demonstrations took place across the country, for which more than ten thousand police officers were on their feet. The trade unions spoke of a ‘historic’ turnout. Another day of action is planned for Saturday.
Although polls show that most French support the actions, the government is still standing firm. On Thursday, the Senate will continue to discuss the other proposed reforms of the pension system. The French government hopes to finalize talks on the full pension reform in the Senate on Sunday, ahead of a vote in both chambers of parliament on March 16.
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