French general strike against 2-year retirement delay

An important reform during Macron’s term of office is the reform of the pension system. When he is running for re-election in 2022, he will take this reform as a key point in his campaign. Macron’s reform three years ago was opposed by domestic demonstrations and finally stopped. At the beginning of this year, Macron’s pension reform motion was met with massive strikes and demonstrations, and Macron’s pension reform was once again blocked.

The pension reform promoted by Macron is already the seventh reform of the pension system in French history. There have been large-scale protests in France over the past reforms. In 2010, Sarkozy’s government raised the retirement age to 62, sparking protests that lasted for weeks. In the end, the reform proposal was passed.

The reform, which delays retirement by two years, affects the working class and the poorest, who tend to start working earlier and used to qualify for a full pension at 62. If the reform plan is implemented, these people will work for two extra years without additional benefits. However, 50 years ago, the ratio of working people to retirees in France was 4:1, but now it has dropped to 1.7:1, and it is expected to continue to decline in the next few years. We all know that the current national pension deficit, the government does not reform and maintain high retirement benefits is also very difficult.

In addition to opposing the postponement of the pension age, this French strike march of millions of people is estimated to have also occurred since the Russia-Ukraine conflict. France has followed the US allies to sanction Russia and provide aid to Ukraine. However, the energy crisis it has suffered has made people’s lives worse. In fact, last year, there were constant demonstrations in France, and many people also demanded that Macron step down. With such an economic crisis superimposed on a political crisis, Macron is restarting pension reform at this moment, and the pressure and difficulty facing him can be imagined.