February 10th, 2023

Recently, the country of France has been depicted in images of large, mass protests filling the streets of around 200 different French cities. Over a million people have joined in on the action. Sidewalks and streets are lined with red CGT flags (a national trade union), music, and chanting protesters, leaving several services in the country stranded. So what has incited all this action?

 

On January 10th, 2023, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne laid out Emmanuel Macron’s plan to reform a long-heated topic of debate – France’s pension and retirement plan. This plan would change a number of factors. Most notably, the retirement age for receiving a full pension will be increased from 62 to 64 by 2030, increasing 3 months per year starting in September. This also made it so that beginning in 2027, one must work 43 years to receive this full pension. People who start work before 20 may retire at an earlier age, as well as people with certain jobs, such as firefighters. Minimum pension will also be heightened for low-income workers, with this change helping about 2 million people. In an attempt to ease working conditions for older employees, Borne states that the transition to part time employment 2 years before retirement will be allowed. All of these changes come in the realization that France’s pension funding is going into deficit if it is not already, and will not be sustainable for the country’s economy in the coming years.

 

This also isn’t the first time the French president has tried to enact a pension reform. The last time was in late 2019, when Emmanuel Macron had attempted to put into a place a more aggressive approach to changing the pension plan. His announcement was met with huge criticism and protests, but they were slightly less widespread than the ones occurring right now. However, the transportation strike caused by the 2019 announcement was the longest Paris had seen in 30 years. In the coming year of 2020, these operations would be ceased by the French government, as the constraints and severity of the Covid-19 pandemic took over the world. 

 

Public reaction towards the government’s plan is essentially the same as last time – but more intense. On January 19th, strikes were issued by France’s 8 biggest trade unions, the first time in over a decade they have congregated for such action. This led to a lack of government-run services, the most affected being transportation. There was nearly no public transport and most trains were not in service, with some metro lines even having to be shut down. Other sectors which held mass strikes were those such as education and energy. It seems the general public is in disagreement with the French government’s decision, with a IFOP (Institut français d’opinion publique) poll showing 68% oppose the new agenda.

 

So, is this reasonable and respectable action for the French government to take? I think it’s hard to say, but I feel as though this was bound to happen sooner or later. It is quite clear that soon enough, their pension plan will be in a deficit, making it unsustainable to continue down this path. Personally, I think it is better to get it over with now than dig this hole deeper and deeper, making it harder to escape. It is also important to recognize that even with all this drama, the French are still in a heightened situation compared to other countries in regards to pension plans – their retirement age is one of the lowest in the EU, with most others being around the age of 66. It can be frustrating now, but without action, future situations will be much worse. 

By Arielle Chung

Categories: Editorials