Topline
Everything from railways, to classrooms are on pause in France as all French unions jointly agreed to strike Thursday in opposition to the government’s recently released pension overhaul that includes raising the national retirement age by two years.
People gather near Place de la Republique during a demonstration, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 in Paris.
Key Facts
The pension changes proposed by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and President Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of the year would raise the retirement age by two years to 64 by 2030.
Beginning this year there will be an annual three-month increase in the pension age.
French workers will have to complete 43 years of work, beginning in 2027, in order to receive a full pension.
With French workers—who all receive a government pension— living longer and a pension deficit, the government argues it’s a necessary change.
An estimated 70% of school teachers are on strike today, state owned energy provider EDF lowered electricity output and public transport has largely come to a halt, France 24 reported.
Workers in many French cities took to the streets Thursday to reject proposed pension changes that … [+]
Key Background
This is not the first time pension changes have been proposed by the French government and it isn’t the first time Macron himself proposed a pension overhaul. Back in 2019, amid mass opposition and the impending COVID-19 pandemic, Macron made a similar proposal that he ultimately had to desert. Nearly 30 years ago, millions of people took to the streets for weeks in opposition of pension reform that was eventually abandoned by then President Jacques Chirac.
Protestors march with walkers as they demonstrate against proposed pension changes, in Strasbourg, … [+]
Tangent
France’s retirement age will still be comparatively low among other Western nations. In the U.S., the minimum age to relieve full retirement benefits is being raised from 66 to 67, a process set to be complete by 2027. In Italy, the retirement age is also 67. In the U.K., age is 66, and in Canada and Spain it’s 65.
A lone passenger walks on the platform in a deserted subway station in Paris.
Further Reading
Macron Scraps Proposal to Raise Retirement Age in France (New York Times)
France: Pension Reform Will Likely Succeed Despite Historic Strikes (Forbes)
France Suffers As Longest Strike Movement Since 1968 Reaches 36th Day (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/01/19/france-at-a-standstill-schools-trains-shut-down-as-workers-protest-macron-pension-reform/