French unions on Tuesday will stage protests for the 14th day against the government’s plans to increase the retirement age to 64. According to local media reports, traffic and flight movements are likely to be affected due to the same.
French authorities are also planning on deploying 11,000 police personnel, including 4,000 in Paris on Tuesday, the interior ministry said on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to force the reform through with special constitutional powers prompted angry protests this spring, but the issue has slowly moved down the media agenda, making it harder for unions to mobilise.
While a local news website Le Monde said that limited disruption of public transport and some flight cancellations are likely.
Meanwhile, other local reports also suggest that the air traffic controller strike will significantly affect certain flight movements. The Irish Examiner reported that local airliner Ryanair said multiple flights across Europe will remain cancelled through early Wednesday morning, in the backdrop of the strike in France.
What is the pension reform issue?
Macron had made social reforms, particularly that of the pension system, a flagship policy for his 2022 re-election.
His move to force a pension reform bill sans a vote earlier this year infuriated the opposition and also caused a slew of protests. Macron’s government also narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.
France has a pension system where the working population pays payroll costs mandatorily to fund those who are in their retirement. Every single French worker gets a public pension.
In the last 40 years, every French president has changed the retirement regulations in some way or another.
Macron’s government is saying that pension changes are required to avoid the upcoming crippling deficits in the decades to come, which is linked to the ageing population in France.
Those opposing the reform are saying it places an unfair burden on people with low incomes, women as well as those involved in physically wearing jobs.
The adoption of the reform on Thursday triggered protests across Paris and the country, with many arrests being made.
Source: Consumer News Business Channel
