A feeling of déjà vu pervaded the French capital on Monday as hundreds of thousands of protesters unfurled their posters and strikes paralysed public transport in opposition to the government’s announced pension reform. The proposed changes, a cornerstone of Macron's reform agenda but also a high-stakes test of his reputation as a reformer, are particularly controversial at a time when many French households are struggling with inflation and rising energy prices.
In 2019, during his first term, President Emmanuel Macron tried to overhaul France’s pension system, provoking widespread opposition in the streets, but the government had to postpone its plans when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Now the government intends to forge ahead with a plan to raise the legal age of retirement from 62 to 64 even though recent opinion polls have shown that over two-thirds of French people oppose his proposals. Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will also face resistance from the lower house National Assembly. But the most virulent source of opposition has come from powerful unions like the CGT and CFDT, which are against raising the age of retirement.
By raising the retirement age by two years most workers would need to work 43 years, rather than 42, to be eligible for a full pension.
Why is pension reform a test of the government’s legitimacy?
The brewing battle will be a test for Macron who has staked his presidency – and the legitimacy of his government – on successfully delivering reforms. Macron won his second term in April 2022 by winning 18.7 million votes against Marine Le Pen with 13.2 million. Nevertheless, voters of the left refuse to see their vote for Macron as approval for his political programme. For them, Macron was only elected president to block the rise to power of the extreme-right.
In addition to his reform woes, Macron has struggled to rid himself of the image of an out-of-touch “president of the rich”. His government, too, is judged as “too technocratic” and failing in its political approach.
"The reform of the pension system is raising questions and doubts. We hear it," Prime Minister Borne wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, while insisting on the government's "responsibility" to carry out the changes.
Why is making the French work longer so controversial?
The reform is taking place at a time when many French households are under pressure because of inflation and rising energy prices. People’s purchasing power remains lower than before Russia’s war in Ukraine. Macron and his government will have a difficult time convincing the French of the need to reform the pension system.
The intensity of the protests stems from the unions' reluctance to give up hard-won gains and from the perception of French citizens that the reform is an attack on the nation’s welfare system. As early as the 1930s, the triumphs of the left have been defined by the right to strike, paid holidays and unemployment insurance.
As the conservative Le Figaro magazine wrote, “From the government to the opposition, everyone has understood that the French malaise is linked to work, maybe even more than to retirement.” This could explain why the two rounds of protests, on January 19 and 31, had a large showing of young people, some of whom had never before participated in protests.
Possible concessions
French Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt has said that raising the retirement age was non-negotiable, but that other areas were open to discussion. After the success of the January 31 protest, the government may be reconsidering its stance.
The president could placate the opposition by widening the category of high-risk jobs that already have an earlier retirement age – police, firefighters and those in the military fall under this category, as do manual labourers.
Macron’s Renaissance party and its allies have a weak majority in the National Assembly and they will struggle to pass the pension law on their own. Macron has some support from the conservative Les Républicans party, who approve of extending the retirement age although some of its members oppose other aspects of the law.
The political battle surrounding pension reform will continue on two fronts: in the streets and in the National Assembly. The unions have already promised new protests on February 7 and 11. What will it take to obtain the 289 necessary votes and avoid a rarely invoked parliamentary tool (Article 49.3) that could force the bill through without a vote? Addressing the thorny situation faced by women and employees at the end of their careers will likely be another tactic used by Macron to mollify the opposition.
With around 30 MPs from the president’s own party and from the conservative Les Républicains refusing to vote for the bill in its current state, the contentious piece of legislation is likely to be the subject of intense parliamentary debates in the weeks to come.
(With AFP)
