The nine members of the Constitutional Council, known as “wise men”, this Friday gave the green light to key measures of President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform – including the most controversial increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. The judges stopped only six measures that were not considered fundamental (such as a special contract for older workers) and, in a setback for the left, rejected the project for a referendum on shared initiative. But the battle will continue.
The Constitutional Council’s decision opens the door to Macron’s entry into force of the law – likely this weekend – and the reform is expected to take effect in September. Even before the decision of the “wise men”, the president had invited the unions and employers to a meeting on Tuesday. But the unions refuse any meeting until May 1 (Labour Day) and support all forms of struggle. This Friday, protesters gathered in the center of Paris, waiting for the decision, chanting that the strikes will not end until the reform is withdrawn.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne welcomed the fact that the text has reached the end of the democratic process. On Twitter, he considered that “There are no winners or losers”. In a statement, the government states that it “wants to continue consultations with its social partners to give more substance to work, to improve working conditions and to achieve full employment”.
The Constitutional Council drew attention to the “unusual character” of the way the reform was passed, but held that it was not unconstitutional. Borne used the “constitutional atomic bomb” – as Article 49.3 of the constitution is called – to pass the text without a vote in the National Assembly.
“The decision of the Constitutional Council shows that it is more attentive to the needs of the presidential monarchy than to those of the sovereign people. The battle continues and it must gather its strength.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Insubmissa (left), wrote on Twitter that the decision will not be made until early May.
“Now that the people always have the last word, it is up to them to prepare the alternation that withdraws from this useless and unfair reform”, said the spokeswoman for the parliamentary group of the National Meeting (extreme right). Polls suggest that Marine Le Pen would beat Macron if the election were repeated (55% to 45%).
Source: DN
