“The match is coming to an end”: Hundreds of thousands again against Macron’s pension reform

“The match is over”
Hundreds of thousands again against Macron’s pension reform

The prospects of stopping the controversial pension reform in France after all are dwindling. The protest movement flagged in the face of the increasingly irrefutable facts. The trade unions mobilize hundreds of thousands again for one of the last protests. The resistance should now be continued in a different way.

With another day of protests against the controversial pension reform, France’s trade unions have once again expressed their displeasure. However, the head of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger, announced at the beginning of the actions on the Europe 1 broadcaster that this would be “one of the last days of action” against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan. The resistance will probably continue in a different way. “The match is over,” said Berger.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, a good 280,000 people took part in strikes and demonstrations in various cities, significantly fewer than at the peak of the protests, as reported by the French media unanimously. The CGT union spoke of more than 900,000 demonstrators. Occasionally there were riots during the protests.

Longer working life

The reform to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years has now been passed after a long back and forth. It’s supposed to take hold in September. On Thursday, the opposition wants to try to reverse the increase – without much chance of success.

Macron and his middle government want to prevent an impending hole in the pension fund with the reform. The deposit period for a full pension will increase faster. The retirement age in France is currently 62 years. In fact, retirement is already starting later: those who have not paid in long enough to receive a full pension work longer. At the age of 67 there is then a pension without deduction, regardless of how long it has been paid in.

For months there had been strikes and protests, some of them violent. Today, Tuesday, the head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, warned: “Nothing will be the same as before if he (Macron) decides to stick to this reform.”

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