French Pension Reform Law Deemed 'Constitutional'... Retirement Age Extended to 64

President Macron to Sign Within Days
Union Declares "No More Dialogue," Warns of Hardline Struggle

The French government's pension reform bill was effectively deemed constitutional by the French Constitutional Council on the 14th (local time). If President Emmanuel Macron signs the pension reform law, the statutory retirement age for general workers to receive pensions will be extended by two years from the current 62 to 64 by 2030. The labor unions declared that there will be no further dialogue in this case and expressed their determination for a tough struggle.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to AFP and other news agencies, the French Constitutional Council partially approved the pension reform bill that the government passed without a vote in the lower house. The Constitutional Council judged that the provision extending the retirement age from the existing 62 to 64 by 2030 complies with the constitution. However, among the 36 articles contained in the pension reform bill, six articles, including the introduction of the 'senior index' system and the establishment of special contracts for older workers, were found unconstitutional and deleted. The Constitutional Council also reviewed a proposal from the left-wing opposition party to hold a national referendum on the pension reform but concluded it was inappropriate.

The pension reform bill, which triggered a total of 12 nationwide protests and strikes in public transportation, energy, and education sectors over the past three months, will take effect once President Macron signs it. A close aide to President Macron said he would sign it within a few days. Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt stated that the implementation would proceed as originally planned from September 1.

The eight major labor unions, which formed a united front for the first time in 12 years to demand the withdrawal of the retirement age extension plan, emphasized that if President Macron signs the pension reform bill, there will be no dialogue with the unions. Sophie Binet, Secretary-General of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), announced a large-scale protest against the pension reform on May 1, Labor Day.

President Macron has stressed that if the pension system is not reformed, it will run a deficit of tens of billions of euros annually within ten years, and that the retirement age must be raised to a level similar to other neighboring European countries. Opponents argue that instead of raising the retirement age for workers, the pension system can be supplemented in other ways, such as increasing taxes on the wealthy.

Last month, when the possibility of the pension reform bill being rejected increased in the opposition-controlled lower house, President Macron used Article 49.3 of the constitution to bypass the vote.

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