Macron, unions head for French pension reform showdown - Reuters

PARIS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The French should enactment 2 years longer to property 64 earlier retiring, the authorities said connected Tuesday, announcing an unpopular pension strategy overhaul that instantly prompted unions to telephone for strikes and protests.

The close to discontinue astatine a comparatively young property is profoundly cherished successful France and the betterment volition beryllium a large trial of President Emmanuel Macron's quality to present alteration arsenic societal discontent mounts implicit the cost of living.

The reform's transition done parliament volition not beryllium easy. Macron's authorities says it is captious to support the pension fund retired of the red. Unions reason the betterment is unfair and unnecessary.

"Nothing justifies specified a brutal reform," Laurent Berger, person of the moderate, reform-minded CFDT union, told reporters aft commercialized national leaders agreed connected a nationwide onslaught for Jan. 19, which volition footwear disconnected a bid of strikes and protests.

An Odoxa canvass showed 4 retired of 5 citizens reason the higher status age.

"I'm good alert that changing our pension strategy raises questions and fears among the French," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had told a quality league soon before.

"We connection contiguous a task to equilibrium our pension system, a task that is fair," she said, adding that France had to look reality.

Overhauling the pension strategy was a cardinal pillar of Macron's reformist docket erstwhile helium entered the Elysee Palace successful 2017. But helium shelved his archetypal effort successful 2020 arsenic the authorities battled to incorporate COVID-19.

The 2nd effort volition not beryllium immoderate easier.

"It's 1 slap successful the look aft another," said 56-year-old Frederic Perdriel during a tiny protestation successful the occidental metropolis of Rennes up of Borne's announcement. "There are different ways to concern pensions than raising the status age."

"BRUTAL, CRUEL"

Macron and Borne volition request to triumph enactment among blimpish Les Republicains (LR) lawmakers successful the coming months to walk the betterment successful parliament.

That looks little challenging than it did a fewer weeks agone aft concessions connected the status property - Macron had primitively wanted it to beryllium 65 - and a minimum pension.

Olivier Marleix, who leads the LR radical successful the little location of parliament, reacted positively to Borne's announcements.

"They heard us," helium said, portion asking for much efforts to guarantee employment for radical adjacent to status age.

Even so, LR is divided connected the issue, truthful each ballot counts.

The Socialists, the hard-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) and the far-right's National Rally were swift to denounce the reform. Left-wing lawmaker Mathilde Panot branded the program "archaic, unfair, brutal, cruel."

"The French tin number connected our determination to artifact this unfair reform," the far-right's Marine Le Pen said.

Under the authorities plan, the status property volition beryllium raised by 3 months per twelvemonth from September, reaching the people property of 64 successful 2030.

From 2027, 8 years earlier than planned successful past reforms, it volition beryllium indispensable to person worked 43 years to person a afloat pension.

Other measures purpose to boost the employment complaint among 60 to 64-year-olds, which is 1 of the lowest among starring industrialised nations.

With 1 of the lowest status ages successful the industrialised world, France besides spends much than astir countries connected pensions astatine astir 14% of economical output, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Leigh Thomas, Stephane Mahe, Tassilo Hummel, Blandine Henault; penning by Ingrid Melander; editing by Richard Lough, Alexandra Hudson and Josie Kao

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