Unyielding French Pension Reform... Macron's 'Push Through' vs Union's 'General Strike'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has expressed his intention to push forward with reforms including pension reform. French labor unions, mainly in the public sector, have announced that they will continue strikes to oppose the pension reform.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

On the 2nd (local time), Philippe Martinez, chairman of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), stated, "We will continue protests across the country to oppose the pension reform."

Earlier, President Macron expressed his intention to promote pension reform in his New Year's speech. However, President Macron said, "I know reforms can often cause instability, but we cannot refrain from taking action just because we are worried," adding, "I hope to find a path of compromise together with labor unions and employer organizations."

The French government is currently pushing a reform to unify the retirement pension system, which is divided into 42 different professions and occupations, into a single standardized system. Additionally, raising the legal retirement age from the current 62 to 64 is under consideration.

The French government argues that the newly proposed pension system is fairer and financially sustainable. However, labor unions have opposed it, saying, "It means working longer while receiving less pension."

Besides the unions, the far-right has also expressed opposition to President Macron's pension reform. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, responded by saying, "It is a declaration of war against the millions of French people opposing the pension reform."

Foreign media have explained that even relatively moderate unions are opposing the pension reform due to the plan to extend the retirement age.

The French government plans to meet with unions and employers on the 7th to renegotiate.

Since the end of last year, strikes by unions opposing the pension reform have caused serious disruptions to public transportation in France. French unions plan to hold nationwide protest rallies again on the 9th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.