Status: 02/21/2023 2:40 p.m
After weeks of mass protests against the pension reform, French President Emmanuel Macron is now approaching the public for the first time to convince them of his reform plans.
Despite the great resistance, French President Emmanuel Macron is sticking to his pension reform and has now sought contact with the population for the first time.
Speaking to the workers at the world’s largest fresh produce market in Rungis near Paris, in the midst of freshly cut beef halves, he said: “Basically, everyone knows that on average we have to work a little longer because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to finance our pensions.”
It’s just a “truth that hurts,” he said. “It just doesn’t work if we keep the retirement age,” Macron said. “If we don’t produce wealth, then we can’t distribute it either,” he added, referring to the financial difficulties of hospitals and schools. He was convinced that it was a question of “common sense”.
Retired at 64
His reform envisages raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. However, there must be exceptions for people who start working early or work in strenuous jobs, said Macron.
He was also convinced that working conditions needed to be improved. “We have to adjust career paths,” said the French President. “For people who work nights or carry heavy loads, the career path must be able to adapt from a certain age so that they either work less or are retrained,” said Macron.
Population still skeptical
For weeks, Macron had not publicly responded to the resistance to his reform plans, which drove hundreds of thousands to protest and led to a turbulent debate in the palace.
The French National Assembly ended the debate on pension reform on Friday without voting on the key article, namely raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. That’s because the reform is part of a budget bill that has a limited time for debate. From March 1, the Senate will deal with the bill.
The opposition, trade unions and the majority of the population continue to reject the reform. Another protest day is planned for March 7th. The unions do not rule out a prolonged strike.