Protesters opposed to President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the retirement age burned wooden pallets near the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris on Thursday. Others are marching in cities and towns around France in a final show of anger before a decision on whether the measure meets constitutional standards. If the Constitutional Council greenlights the reform, the bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 can enter into force. Yet the body has the power to reject the text, fully or partially. Hours before the Paris march got underway, protesters piled garbage in front of the Constitutional Council. The garbage, was quickly cleaned up but signaled the start of a new strike by garbage collectors timed to start with Thursday’s nationwide protest marches….(read more)

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Protests against pension reform have continued in France as the government attempts to overhaul the country’s retirement system. President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed reforms have met with significant resistance, with demonstrators taking to the streets over the past few months to voice their opposition.

The proposed changes to France’s pension system would see a shift from the current scheme, which allows certain workers to retire as early as 62, to a universal points-based system. Under the proposed system, workers would accumulate points throughout their career, which would be used to calculate their pension entitlements.

Critics of the reforms argue that it will make it harder for some workers to retire earlier, and could lead to a reduction in pension benefits for some. They also claim that the proposed changes would disproportionately affect those in physically demanding jobs, such as firefighters and train conductors, who are currently allowed to retire earlier.

Protests against the proposed reforms began in December 2019, and have continued into 2020. In January, a mass demonstration in Paris drew an estimated 250,000 protesters, with smaller protests also taking place across the country.

Despite the protests, the government has remained firm in its commitment to the proposed reforms. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has insisted that the new system would be fairer and more sustainable in the long run, and that it would ensure that everyone would have access to a pension that was “decent, sustainable and universal”.

However, the protests have continued to grow in size and intensity, with demonstrators engaging in clashes with police and vandalism of public property. In late January, the French Senate approved the legislation, but it still needs to be passed by the lower house of parliament. The government has set a target of passing the reforms by the summer.

The protests against pension reform are just the latest in a series of mobilizations that have taken place in France in recent years. In 2018, the country was rocked by weeks of protests and riots over fuel tax increases, which were seen as unfairly targeting lower-income workers.

The ongoing protests against pension reform highlight the simmering discontent in France over economic inequality and perceived government indifference to the concerns of ordinary citizens. As the government continues to push ahead with the proposed reforms, it remains to be seen whether the protests will have any impact on the outcome.