Nationwide strike in France against Macron's pension reform
The Hindu
Opinion polls show French voters overwhelmingly reject the raising of the retirement age by two years to 64 — a reform that the government says is vital to ensure the pension system does not go bust
Trains will grind to a halt in France on Thursday, classrooms will be shut and businesses disrupted as workers walk off their jobs in an attempt to derail a planned pension reform that would see the retirement age pushed up by two years to 64.
The nationwide day of strikes and protests is a major test for President Emmanuel Macron, but also for the unions.
Opinion polls show French voters overwhelmingly reject a reform that the government says is vital to ensure the pension system does not go bust.
The challenge for unions, which are far less powerful in France than they used to be, is whether they can transform that opposition to the reform — and anger with a cost-of-living crisis — into a mass social protest that would last beyond Thursday and eventually get the government to back-track.
"Inflation, working conditions, pensions... (people) are fed up with all this and that's why we think many will join us," said Simone Legendre, a member of the CFE-CGC union that represents white-collar workers.
For Mr. Macron, what is at stake is his reformist credentials, both at home and with his European Union peers, as well as keeping public spending in check.
Pushing back the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would yield an additional 17.7 billion euros ($19.1 billion) in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to Labour Ministry estimates. Unions argue there are other ways to ensure the viability of the pension system.
With a new government in place in Delhi, Singapore hopes to schedule the Ministerial Roundtable with India shortly, says Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In an exclusive interview, he speaks about the impact of the elections on ties, the “missed opportunity” of RCEP and the new buzz around Andhra Pradesh’s capital Amaravati.