According to an Odoxa survey, four out of five French people are opposed to retiring at the age of 64.
(Photo: Reuters)
The French government has unveiled its controversial pension reform plans. The entry age should be raised from 62 to 64 by 2030, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Tuesday. From 2027, 43 years of contributions would have to be proven for a full pension.
“I am well aware that changing our pension system raises questions and fears among the French,” she said. It is now the task of the government to gain support from the population. The plans are extremely unpopular, and unions have announced fierce opposition. Your bosses wanted to meet in the evening for advice.
In the run-up to an increase to 65 years had been speculated. The reform has been in the air for years and has been considered a key project by President Emmanuel Macron since he took office in 2017. He broke off an earlier attempt to do so in 2020 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
The majority of the French reject the plans
The French are currently retiring early compared to other industrialized countries. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the EU country spends almost 14 percent of economic output on pensions.
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According to an Odoxa survey, four out of five French people are opposed to retiring at the age of 64. Calls for strikes could be more popular than before, as many French people are deeply frustrated by the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation.
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The reform-oriented trade union CFDT also threatened to protest in advance: “If the retirement age is raised to 65 or 64, the CFDT will do what we promised. We will resist this reform by calling on workers to mobilize,” CFDT chief Laurent Berger said.
A further complication for Macron and Borne is that they do not have a majority in Parliament. Macron could try to win conservative Republican MPs over to his side. If that fails, his last resort would be to use his constitutional powers as head of state to push the project through.
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