These days, millions of people are flooding the streets of Paris, Marseille, Nantes and other French cities in protest of the increase in the retirement age proposed by Emmanuel Macron's government. The bill seeks to extend the maximum working age by two years, from 62 to 64.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, some 1.12 million French people took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the proposal. For the most part, the demonstrations are proceeding peacefully, although in Paris there were some clashes with police. According to the Paris Police Prefecture, 44 arrests were made on Thursday.
The protesters argue that the labor conditions are not right to extend the working age two more years and that the government should find the money elsewhere. The various unions, youth organizations and leftist parties have already announced new protests for this weekend and at the end of January.
Protesta masiva en Francia para seguir jubilándose a los 62 años: Macron se empeña en los 64 pic.twitter.com/HgaZYanjxL
— EL ESPAÑOL (@elespanolcom) January 20, 2023
The government's position
From the Élysée Palace, French lawmakers have argued that extension of the retirement age is indispensable to sustain pension funds and that a deficit will be inevitable as things currently stnad. "Above all, it is a fair and responsible reform," declared Macron from Barcelona, Spain, where he participated in a Spanish-French summit with spanish president Pedro Sanchez.
The measure is one of the main campaign promises of the centrist leader, who was re-elected in April 2022 after beating Marine Le Pen by 58% to 41% in the election. In 2020, Macron had already worked on drafting similar legislation but ended up postponing it because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next Monday Jan. 23, the Council of Ministers is expected to approve the project to be presented to the legislature. The beginning of the debate in the National Assembly would be on Jan. 31, although the process could be extended through March.
Elon Musk's support
From his Twitter account, Elon Musk supported this labor reform. The South African assured that Macron is doing the "right thing," even if it is a measure with a significant political cost.
Macron is doing the difficult, but right thing. The retirement age of 62 was set when lifespans were much shorter. It is impossible for a small number of workers to support a massive number of retirees.
Macron is doing the difficult, but right thing. The retirement age of 62 was set when lifespans were much shorter. It is impossible for a small number of workers to support a massive number of retirees.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 20, 2023
