President’s centrist group is without a majority as parliament begins debating proposal to raise retirement age to 64
that “works more” and works longer – he has introduced limits to the unemployment benefits system and more people are in work. But the pensions battle is politically risky and the hardest domestic challenge of this second term. The left accuses him of seriously misjudging the public mood and increasing social inequality in hard times.
France currently has the lowest qualifying age for a state pension among major European economies and spends a significant amount supporting the system. But the active working population pay high payroll charges and see fair pensions as the bedrock of how society should work. The government briefly tried to turn the pensions row into a cultural war against so-called workshy lefties. The interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said “work is not an illness”. But this misread the mood on the street. The massive protest turnout in rural towns, not just cities, has shown real anger and suffering among key workers, from teachers and nurses to care assistants, who feel unappreciated and underpaid and are struggling with stress and poor working conditions.
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