The French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, has affirmed in a conference that the objective of the proposal is the “balance” of the system, while the unions reject the measure. The French Government has proposed this Tuesday to progressively raise the retirement age from the current 62 years to 64 in 2030, within a broad plan to reform the retirement system. The French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, has affirmed in a conference that the objective of the proposal is the “balance” of the system. “It is necessary that the contributions of active (workers) finance the pensions of retirees,” she added.
The plan also includes an acceleration in the increase to 43 years from 2027 of the contribution time necessary to enjoy a full retirement, as well as that the minimum pension rises to almost 1,200 net euros per month from this year for a contribution period complete. “In 2030, when the legal retirement age is already 64, someone who started working before the age of 16 (usually as an apprentice) will be able to receive their pension at age 58,” Borne exemplified.
Unions criticize the proposal
For their part, the French unions have harshly criticized the measure and have announced a day of interprofessional strike and demonstrations on January 19, in defense of pensions. “Nothing justifies such a brutal reform,” said Laurent Berger, leader of the French Confederation of Workers (CFDT), when appearing before the press along with other union leaders.
The objective of the workers’ organizations will be, in the words of Berger, that this reform “does not enter into force” and that the “Government backs down. The mobilization of the 19th will be, they anticipate, only the “beginning” of the measures of force decided among all the unions.
This article was originally published on Público
