The French government on Wednesday ruled out revoking the recently approved pension reform, while the unions vowed to continue protest actions against the measure that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
After having received the country’s main trade union leaders for two days, the French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, guaranteed that she would not give any support to the parliamentary proposal presented by a small independent group to revoke the controversial reform.
Borne considered it “irresponsible” and said that the measure demanded by the unions as a condition for resuming dialogue “does not lead anywhere.”
For the leader of the French Government, the repeal of the reform would be “unconstitutional” because it would imply extraordinary expenses of 18,000 million euros, something that a bill cannot cause.
The prime minister considered that the proposal of this independent group should not be discussed so as not to deceive the workers with a measure that has no chance of being approved.
Consideration of this proposal is scheduled for June 8, but French President Emmanuel Macron’s party has begun working to prevent its debate.
This criticism of the Government distances it even more from some unions that considered the parliamentary appreciation of the project as a sign of approximation.
The leader of the moderate CFDT [Confederação Francesa Democrática do Trabalho]Laurent Berger, considered “unacceptable” that this text is not debated, which could once again reveal the parliamentary fragility of the Government.
The unions called for a new day of strikes and protests against the pension reform for June 6, two days before the estimated date of the project.
The leader of the combative General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Sophie Binet, the country’s second largest union, considered that it would be “very serious if the deputies were once again deprived of voting for the reform.”
Binet was referring to the legislative resource used by the Executive to approve the reform last March, which earned him two motions of censure, one of which he defended by just nine votes.
Opposition to the pension reform has sharpened the political landscape in France, where Macron cannot leave the Elysee Palace without being greeted by protests.
In several interviews, the French head of state tried to relaunch the political agenda to put an end to this crisis, but the unions seem determined to keep the issue on the agenda.
Source: TSF
