Pension reform meeting with premier was 'failure,' French unions say

Pension reform meeting with premier was 'failure,' French unions say

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne describes meeting as 'respectful discussion'

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The meeting with the prime minister about the pension reform on Wednesday was a failure, French trade unions said.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne received the trade unions' representatives at her office to discuss the pension reform bill.

The meeting took less than an hour, according to media reports.

The trade union French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT) Secretary-General Laurent Berger told journalists after the meeting: "We are living a democratic crisis. The social crisis is becoming a democratic crisis."

He called on a "maximum of workers to mobilize" on Thursday for the planned protests.

French Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC) President Cyril Chabanier said, on behalf of the joint unions, that they asked for the withdrawal of the bill, which was rejected by Borne.

"It is certainly a failure when the prime minister does not open this discussion," Chabanier continued. "Thus, yes, it is certainly a failure."

Meanwhile, the General Confederation Labor's (CGT) culture and entertainment branches hung a giant banner on top of Arc de Triomphe, one of the most symbolic monuments of Paris, which says: "64, it is no!"


- Prime minister's reply

Borne for her part told journalists that during the meeting, she stressed the importance and the necessity of the reform.

She described the meeting as a "respectful discussion," and admitted that the government and the unions disagreed on the article that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030.

Nationwide strikes and demonstrations are planned on Thursday in France, for the 11th time since January.

French authorities expect up to 800,000 protesters, including 90,000 in Paris, broadcaster BFMTV reported.


- Pension reform plan, source of popular furor

The government revealed the reform project in January and parliament started examining and debating the draft bill the following month.

Workers and trade unions have since expressed growing outrage by holding demonstrations and walkouts against the reform which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

Political and social tension rose when President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Borne decided to use special constitutional powers – Article 49.3 – on March 16 to force the plan through without parliamentary approval.

The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government does not hold an absolute majority in the legislature.

Protests then turned violent when violent groups infiltrated the parades across the country, and police were criticized for arbitrary arrests and disproportionate use of force.

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