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Over a million French workers took to the streets to protest a government plan to reform the country’s pension plans, including raising the retirement age.
“Now the government has its back to the wall,” says a joint statement by the leading French trade unions. “Everyone knows that raising the retirement age only benefits employers and the wealthy.”
French President Emmanuel Macron intends to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 to keep the pension system financially sustainable, but unions say the change will jeopardize their rights.
The government says moving the retirement age by two years will add 17.7 billion euros ($19.1 billion) in annual contributions, allowing the system to be balanced by 2027, Portal reported.
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Unions have proposed alternatives to the plan, such as taxing the wealthy or requiring employers to pay higher wages to fund the system, but Macron remains adamant his plan is the best way to resolve the situation.
Demonstrators march during a demonstration against pension changes in Paris on Thursday January 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly/AP Newsroom)
“This problem can be solved in another way, through taxation. Workers should not have to pay for the public sector deficit,” said Laurent Berger, leader of CFDT, France’s largest trade union.
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Macron, who was in Barcelona for a Franco-Spanish summit, acknowledged public dissatisfaction but said reform was still needed to “save” French pensions. France’s aging population and increasing life expectancy, as well as the promise that everyone will receive a state pension, have pushed the government to ensure the system remains solvent.
Riot police grab a protester during a demonstration against pension changes Thursday January 19, 2023, in Paris. | AP newsroom
“We will do it with respect, in a spirit of dialogue, but also with determination and responsibility,” Macron said.
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But the public is firmly opposed to the reform, with polls suggesting most people oppose the proposal. Thursday’s strikes represent the first public response to the plan, with disruptions to transport, schools and other public services as more than 200 rallies took place across the country.
Firefighters demonstrate against pension changes, Thursday January 19, 2023 in Lille, northern France. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler/AP Newsroom)
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 1.1 million people protested, around 800,000 in Paris alone. Unions have claimed that more than two million people took part in the protests across the country.
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The mostly peaceful protests resulted in small skirmishes with police, with several dozen protesters being arrested and police firing tear gas at some groups.
Unions have called a second day of widespread strikes on January 31 to force Macron to backtrack on his plan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.