France's Macron faces third round of pension reform strikes

7/2/2023 13:04

        President Emmanuel Macron and his government on Tuesday braced for a third wave of nationwide strikes and protests against plans to make the French work longer before retirement, as the bill started its bumpy passage through parliament.
        
        Rail services will be disrupted, school classes cancelled and refinery deliveries impacted as workers across multiple sectors walk out, and trade unions have urged the public once again to take to the streets in big numbers.
        
        The government says people must work two years longer - meaning for most until the age of 64 - in order keep the budget of one of the industrial world's most generous pension systems in the black.
        
        The French spend the largest number of years in retirement among OECD countries - a deeply cherished benefit that a substantial majority are reluctant to give up, polls show.