Macron uses special powers to force through plan
Proposed changes to France’s pension system, which have provoked huge protests and strikes since the start of the year, were due to be voted on in parliament on Thursday, in a decisive moment for Emmanuel Macron. However, at the last moment he pulled the vote and used special constitutional powers to force the plans through.
Proposed changes to France’s pension system, which have provoked huge protests and strikes since the start of the year, were due to be voted on in parliament on Thursday, in a decisive moment for Emmanuel Macron. However, at the last moment he pulled the vote and used special constitutional powers to force the plans through.
What are Macron’s proposed pension changes?
The minimum general retirement age will rise from 62 to 64, some public sector workers will lose privileges and there will be an accelerated increase in the number of years of work required to qualify for a full pension. The changes were part of Macron’s manifesto for his re-election to a second term in office in 2022.
Hasn’t Macron tried to make changes to the pension system before?
Yes. In 2019, during his first term, he put forward a different plan to unify the complex French pension system. He argued that getting rid of the 42 special regimes for sectors ranging from rail and energy workers to lawyers was crucial to keep the system financially viable. At that time, he did not want to raise the retirement age.
Protests against those proposals lasted longer than any strike since the wildcat workers’ stoppages of 1968. Macron’s changes were eventually shelved at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020….
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