France braces for new pension strikes

PARIS — France's prime minister has ruled out backtracking on a plan to raise the retirement age, as unions prepared for another day of mass protests against the contested reform.

An increase in the minimum retirement age to 64 from the current 62 is part of a flagship reform package pushed by President Emmanuel Macron to ensure the future financing of France's pensions system.

After union protests against the change brought out more than a million people into the streets across France on Jan 19, the government signaled there was wiggle room on some measures.

They included special deals for people who started working very young, and provisions for mothers who interrupted their careers to look after their children and for people who invested in further education.

But the headline age limit of 64 is not up for discussion, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday.

"This is now nonnegotiable," she told broadcaster Franceinfo.

While unions have welcomed the government's readiness for negotiation on parts of the plan, they said the proposed 64-year rule has to go.

In a rare show of unity, France's eight major unions called the reform "unfair" and said they hoped to "mobilize even more massively" on Tuesday — their next scheduled protest day — than at the Jan 19 rallies.

On that occasion, the government put the turnout at 1.1 million. But unions said it was more than 2 million.

"It's looking like there will be even more people," said Celine Verzeletti, member of the hard-left union CGT's confederation leadership.

Major test

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, repeated her opposition to the government's "unjust and brutal" plans.

Both unions and the government see Tuesday's protests as a major test.

Nearly 200 protests are being organized countrywide, with a big march planned for Paris culminating in a demonstration outside the National Assembly.

The left-wing opposition has submitted more than 7,000 amendments to the draft in a bid to slow its path through parliament.

Macron's allies, short of an absolute majority in parliament, will need votes from conservatives to get their pensions plan approved.

The government has the option of forcing the bill through without a vote under special constitutional powers, but that risks triggering a vote of no confidence, and possibly new parliamentary elections.

In addition to protest marches, unions have called for widespread strike action for Tuesday, with railway services and public transport expected to be heavily affected.

Stoppages are also expected in schools and administrations, with some local authorities having already announced closure of public spaces such as sports stadiums.

For people using public transport, Tuesday would be "difficult, or even very difficult", Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on Sunday, calling on commuters to postpone trips and work from home when possible.

Observers said the unions are playing for high stakes, and any slackening of support on Tuesday could be fatal for their momentum.

"They have placed the bar high," political science professor Dominique Andolfatto said. "They can't afford any missteps."

Agence France-presse