French workers angered by proposed changes to pension rules halted trains, cut power, and took to the streets on Thursday in a day of nationwide strikes and protests seen as a major test for Emmanuel Macron and his presidency.
French workers will need to work longer before receiving a pension under the new rules, with the nominal retirement age rising from 62 to 64. In a country with an ageing population and rising life expectancy, where everyone receives a pension, the government says reform is the only way to keep the system viable.
Unions argue that the pension overhaul threatens fundamental rights and propose a tax on the rich or higher payroll contributions from employers to fund the pension system. Polls show most French people oppose the reform.
More than 200 rallies are expected around France on Thursday, including a major protest in Paris involving all of France’s unions.
Police unions opposed to pension reform are also involved; those not protesting are bracing for possible violence if extremist groups join the protests.
According to the rail authority SNCF, the majority of trains in France have been cancelled, including some international services.Around 20% of flights from Paris’ Orly airport are being canceled, and airlines are warning of delays.
Electricity workers pledged to cut power supplies as a form of protest, and about 70 percent of preschool and primary school teachers said they would refuse to work on Thursday, according to French media reports. Even high school student associations are expected to participate in the protests, blocking access to some schools.
The French government formally presented the pensions bill on Monday, and it will go to Parliament next month. Its success will depend in part on the scale and duration of strikes and protests.
Prolonged strikes opposed Macron’s last attempt to raise the retirement age in 2019, and he eventually withdrew it after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Associated Press
