Reform Bill on Pension Age Attracts Mass Protest?

A new reform bill is soon to be introduced in parliament that will raise the official pension age of a person from 62 to 64. Now people have to work until age 64 to get a pension.

Mass Strikes

The mass strikes are expected to badly hamper commuter and intercity train services. Schools, colleges, and other public services will remain closed. One of the two international airports in Paris, Orly Airport, will have one in five flights cancelled. The Paris metro also had its services disrupted; only two of the driverless lines will work normally.

In Paris and other major cities, a large crowd of tens of thousands of people is expected to be out on the street to protest. In cases of violence, heavy police forces have been deployed in these cities. The parliamentary process will take several weeks. The worst-case scenario for the government would be indefinite strikes on transportation, fuel depots, and hospitals, effectively bringing the country to a halt.

History of Reforms

The pension reform by the Macron government is the seventh French pension reform since President François Mitterrand cut the retirement age to 60 in 1982. In the early 21st century, the government of France raised the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 as a way to address the financial sustainability of the pension system.

This change was part of a set of pension reform measures that also included a gradual increase in the minimum retirement age to 67, which is set to be fully implemented by 2023. This reform was proposed in 2010 by then-President Sarkozy and then-Prime Minister Fillon, and it was approved by parliament.

Every subsequent reform had led to mass protests on the streets, but most of the reforms get through. The 2010 reform was also met with weeks of protest, but ultimately it was passed by the parliament.

Mood of the people

Most political analysts believe that predicting people’s moods is difficult. Therefore, it’s not possible to say whether the movement will become large enough to force the president to take back the bill. But if the bill were really forced to be taken back, then it could end any more serious reforms by Macron in his current term.

There are many reasons to be worried; the people are anxious and irritated due to inflation, energy crises, etc. And President Macron’s poor image outside the cities could also negatively contribute significantly at this time.

But there is another side to this too; many experts have identified a sense of resignation among the public as they are no longer able to identify themselves with movements in which the union specialises, also known as “old school.” During this time, when inflation is at its peak, people are worried about the loss of a single day’s income if they go on strike.

Government’s Justification

According to the government, this system is not in balance anymore and is heading for a total collapse. The ratio between those working and those in retirement is shrinking rapidly. The ratio was 4 workers per retiree 50 years ago; now it is around 1.7 per retiree. The ratio is expected to sink further in the coming years.

France was not the first country to introduce pension age reforms. Nearly every other EU country has increased their retirement age. It has been raised to 67 by Italy and Germany, 65 by Spain, and 66 by the United Kingdom.