France also plans to facilitate the return to work of retirees to improve their pension and make progressive retirement more flexible, which allows them to work two years part-time before retiring, collecting part of the pension.
Most special pension schemes, such as those of the Paris RATP public transport, energy companies or the Bank of France, will no longer apply to new hires in these sectors.
A very unpopular measure
More than six in 10 people oppose it, according to an OpinionWay poll released Tuesday. 61% of those surveyed consider a reform “necessary”, but it is not, and 58% support the protests.
“The level of support for the mobilization is important, above average (…) Everything will depend on the dynamics of the movement and the battle that awaits us is uncertain,” said the vice president of the polling company, Bruno Jeanbart, to the daily The echoes.
But Macron, who will be in Barcelona on Thursday for a Franco-Spanish summit, has left his Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in charge, who defended this Tuesday “a project of justice” and “progress”.
“He is right not to be in the front line,” Frédéric Dabi, from the Ifop polling institute, told AFP, for whom if “there is a terrible tension”, he will be able to intervene later.
“Everything happens as if the French had understood that the government will not be able to give in, because Macron is risking his mandate,” added the analyst.