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January 09, 2020 07:10 AM

French unions unyielding in pension reform fight

But Emmanuel Macron's government says compromise is in sight

Bloomberg
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    Bloomberg
    Pedestrians and cyclists pass traffic Thursday near Gare du Nord railway station in Paris ahead of a day of protest and ongoing transport worker strikes over pension reform plans, which have entered their second month.

    French unions kept up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron to abandon his pension reform plans with a fourth day of demonstrations across the country Thursday, while the government said a compromise may be in sight.

    Mr. Macron's plan to replace 42 different pension regimes with a single, points-based system and raise the age for a full pension to 64 from 62, has triggered strikes that entered their 36th day — a record for the transport sector.

    "The mobilization is still there, and the anger, too," said Philippe Martinez, head of the far-left CGT union, which wants the government to abandon its proposals, on Europe 1 radio. "This reform is bad. We have propositions. We want to improve the current system. There are two conflicting plans. We're not against everything."

    The CFDT union, which supports a universal points-based pension system, repeated its opposition Thursday to the age increase. "If the retirement age remains in the law, it's no," CFDT head Laurent Berger told the AFP news agency.

    Following a proposal by the CFDT, the government is planning to meet with unions again on Friday to discuss a financing conference as it seeks to find a way to balance the cost of the pension system.

    Compromise possible

    "I'm convinced" there will be a compromise Friday, said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, junior minister for transport, on BFM TV. "We've bet on dialogue and the ability to build compromise."

    The first march organized by unions on Dec. 5 drew more than 800,000 people, the biggest turnout since Mr. Macron took office in May 2017. Two subsequent marches in December saw lower numbers.

    Travelers and commuters faced difficulties again Thursday, with significantly reduced rail services across France and metro services in the capital.

    Despite the disruption, a poll released Monday by Elabe showed 53% of the French support or sympathize with the protest movement, down 1 point from mid-December. Some 46% of those surveyed were now in favor of the reform plan, up 3 points, while 53% were against it, down 4 points. Two-thirds opposed raising the retirement age.

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