New strikes against pension reforms across France

PHOTO: MIA

France is bracing for new strikes and mass protests against a deeply unpopular pension reform today, a day after lawmakers began debating the controversial law.

President Emmanuel Macron made the reform a centerpiece of his re-election campaign last year and is determined to implement it despite fierce opposition from the political left and unions, as well as the general public.

The protests scheduled for today are the third such gatherings across the country organized since the beginning of the year.

According to the police, 1,3 million people participated in last week's protests across the country, while the unions claim that more than 2,5 million people participated. However, these were the largest such protests in France since 2010.

Trains and the Paris metro are expected to experience "severe disruption" again today, operators said, with around one in five flights expected to be canceled at Orly airport south of the capital.

Further strikes are planned for Saturday, although unions at rail operator SNCF said they would not call a strike over the weekend, a day off in some regions.

Macron's proposal would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 – still lower than in many European countries – and increase the number of years people have to pay full pension contributions.

His ruling party hopes to pass the law with the help of allies on the political right, without having to resort to controversial executive powers that do not require a vote. But members of the left opposition are firmly against it and have submitted thousands of amendments.

Members of Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne's government tried to defend the reform yesterday in Parliament.

As pressure mounted, Bourne offered a key concession on Sunday, saying people who started working at 20 or 21 would be allowed to leave their jobs a year earlier.

Macron's aim is to bring the pension system out of deficit by 2030 by finding around 18 billion euros in annual savings – mainly by forcing people to work longer and ending some special pension schemes.

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