Pension Reform from 1.3 Million to 1.6 Million Won per Month... Why Are French Unions Calling for a "General Strike"?

Retirement Age Extended from 62 to 64
French Government: "This Reform Is Absolutely Necessary"

The French government announced a 'pension reform' that extends the minimum age to start receiving pensions from the current 62 to 64 by 2030 and increases the required contribution period to receive 100% of the pension, prompting labor unions to announce a general strike on the 19th.

On the 10th (local time), French Prime Minister ?lisabeth Borne held a press conference to announce the pension reform plan, which includes extending the retirement age by three months each year. According to the reform plan, France's retirement age will be 63 years and 3 months in 2027 and 64 years in 2030. The contribution period required to receive 100% of the pension will increase by one year, from 42 years in 2027 to 43 years. In return, the minimum pension amount will rise from 980 euros (about 1.3 million KRW) per month to 1,200 euros (about 1.6 million KRW).

In response, eight major labor unions in France have announced a general strike on the 19th to oppose the government's pension reform push. The upcoming strike aims to mobilize more workers than the general strike in December 2019, which involved 800,000 participants. At that time, the public sector went on a large-scale strike, halting public transportation such as trains and subways, closing hospitals, airports, tourist attractions, and canceling school classes.

French President Macron.
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Currently, the unions are reportedly aiming to recreate the general strike that paralyzed the country for three weeks with 2 million people on the streets during the mid-right Jacques Chirac government’s public sector pension reform push in 1995. However, there are opinions that the unions' influence is not as strong as in the past, and it is uncertain whether this strike alone can break the government's will.

Olivier V?ran, government spokesperson, said at a briefing on the 11th (local time) regarding the unions' call for a strike opposing the pension reform, "We are not afraid," and added, "We want to see this through to the end." He emphasized that this reform is essential to protect the pension system. Fr?d?ric Dabi, director of the French public opinion research institute IFOP, also assessed that "the tense atmosphere seen during the anti-government Yellow Vest protests that swept across France in 2018 is not evident."

Meanwhile, public support for the pension reform is currently low. According to recent surveys by various polling agencies, support for the government's proposed retirement age extension remains around 30%.

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