UPDATE - French workers, trade unions even more determined after pension overhaul

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – French workers and trade unions are even more determined in their objection to the government's pension reform plan, according to media reports.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday decided to use Article 49.3 of the constitution to adopt the controversial draft bill without a parliamentary vote.

This move intensified the furor of the plan's opponents, including trade unions and workers, who decided to extend the walkouts in several sectors.

Due to the garbage collectors' walkout – which started last week and was extended to March 20 – more than 10,000 tons of garbage has piled up in Paris.

Upon request from the Interior Ministry, Paris police chief ordered the municipality to requisition its staff, so that they would go back to work and start collecting garbage.

But this did not solve the row, piles of garbage continues rotting on the streets, according to the Le Figaro newspaper.

Meanwhile, oil refinery and railway workers decided to extend the strike, which may cause a fuel shortage in some stations and severe railway traffic disruptions.

Demonstrations were also held on Friday in several cities across the country, including Rennes, Bordeaux, and Nantes, Le Figaro added.

- OECD backs French government

OECD Secretary General expressed support for the French pension reform plan.

Mathias Cormann in a press conference on Friday in Paris stressed that life expectancy is now longer than before.

"We live longer and healthier, and we need to accept that we will have to work slightly longer," Cormann said.

"The pensions arrangements that were put in place and the financing of pensioning arrangements that was put in place at a time of lower life expectancy was based on certain cost assumptions that are no longer valid," the Secretary General added. "Having gone this far, I am sure the government in France will and I would suggest they should stay the course and see this through."

After it was passed by the Senate on Thursday, the final version of the draft bill was supposed to be taken up for parliamentary approval.

However, Macron held consultations with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, other ministers and heads of parliamentary groups of political parties to decide whether to use special constitutional powers to bypass the parliamentary process.

Borne then headed to the parliament to give a speech and invoke Article 49.3, which angered opposition members who called a censure motion on Friday.

Macron’s decision to use the special constitutional powers was driven by the fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms, since the government does not have an absolute majority.

The reforms include raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2030 and requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for full pensions.

The plan has triggered public outrage since it was revealed last year, with massive protests and strikes held across the country since January.