(Photo : Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 24: SNCF workers chant against President Macron and his government as an estimated 400,000 people take to the streets in Paris to demonstrate against President Macron’s controversial pension reform on the day that it is formally presented for review in the Council of Ministers on January 24, 2020 in Paris, France. Dubbed ‘Black Friday’ by participating unions, today marks the 51st consecutive day of strikes in France and the 7th day of national strikes.
President Emmanuel Macron will push through pension reforms in the opening of 2023, but the largest labor union is not in line with this move.
Macron Faces Opposition from Largest Labor Union
President Macron's government hopes to revive its structural reform drive and score a significant political victory this week when it launched a complete revamp of the pension scheme in the face of rigid trade union resistance, reported Alarabiya.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will highlight plans to have French people work longer hours on Tuesday, most plausible by elevating the retirement age to 64 or 65 from the current 62.
Macron had to put the pension reform on standby in 2020 as the administration hustled to control the COVID-19 epidemic and save the economic system. He can face tougher union opposition in 2020, with even the reform-minded CFDT, which is France's biggest union, threatening to protest.
According to CFDT head Laurent Berger, if the retirement age is raised to 65 or 64, the CFDT will do whatever it says it will need to resist this restructuring through collective action by workers, noted Reuters.
Walk-outs could make headway this time, as grievances over the loss of buying power have already started to run strong. Power is expensive, just as it is during the current higher inflation crisis. To keep social unrest under control, the government has spent tens of billions of euros to mitigate the impact of record-high underemployment.
Power and gas prices had already managed to keep French inflation relatively low compared to the majority of EU countries.
Read Also: Addictive TikTok Described as China's 'Digital Fentanyl' for Americans, Says New US Exec
Even though the latest strike action has already been limited to particular industries like refineries and airlines, the public uproar over pension reform does have the possibility to inspire far broader demonstrations.
Pension Reforms Threaten Widespread Unrest
The yellow vest movement, largely dormant since violent anti-Macron street protests in 2018 and 2019, held a march through central Paris on Saturday, though turnout was low, citing Daily Sabah.
Polls show pension reform is unpopular, but Macron's administration thinks the general public mood would be less divided compared with 2018. The reforming of pensions for responsible action is the only way to survive.
The French government is faced with many problems as the expense to keep the effects of the current inflation, which plagues the EU from making it worse for Macron's administration. The cost of getting energy has been costly for Paris, which is struggling to keep a rein of what is happening.
It cannot be denied the impact of the current climate is conducive to more protests, and the subject of pensions is a serious concern for the Macron government.
These are the major concerns Macron has to deal with, especially how the pension plan will be reacted to and how to deal with challenges. President Macron says whose reform pension reforms could be the target of the largest labor union in France; spreading protests are seen due to this.
Related Article: Russia's Liberal Democratic Party Hints Kremlin Could Purchase Chinese Carrier Liaoning from Beijing
