Chinanews.com, January 20. "I don't want to devote all my life to work anymore. My grandfather once said to me that you should not waste your life earning a living." Joanna, a 45-year-old nurse, said.
A few days ago, France announced a plan to reform the retirement system, planning to delay the statutory retirement age from the current 62 to 64, triggering a wave of protests.
On January 19, local time, more than 1 million people participated in protests against the reform of the retirement system, causing trains to stop, refineries to shut down, and power production to be interrupted.
Demonstrators threw smoke bombs at police, who responded with tear gas.
"Black Thursday", staged in France.
On January 19, 2023, protests against the reform of the retirement system broke out in France.
Throwing smoke bombs, burning bicycles
Protesters clash with police
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Place de la République in Paris from various places. Many people held self-made placards, and some people were busy distributing leaflets—the main content was basically against the reform of the retirement system and the delay of the legal system. retirement age.
Some demonstrators called for the statutory retirement age to be lowered to 60 from the current 62.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 1.2 million people participated in the protests, including 80,000 in Paris.
The French Confederation of Trade Unions (CGT) said 2 million people took part in demonstrations across France, including 400,000 in the capital alone.
Maxim, a 24-year-old prison guard who took part in the protest, said the postponement of the retirement age was "unreasonable".
"Being a prison officer is a tiring job, and in prisons we deal with young, violent prisoners, and it's impossible to do that after 60."
On January 19, 2023, protests against the reform of the retirement system broke out in France.
The picture shows a protester using a flare.
Agence France-Presse reporters said some demonstrators threw bottles and cans and homemade smoke bombs at the police, and the police used tear gas to disperse the rioters.
Crowds of young protesters also clashed with security forces at Place de la République in Paris, setting fire to several bicycles and vandalizing bus stops.
Police said 44 people were arrested on charges of using a weapon or violence.
At the same time, the nationwide general strike in France has spread to more than 200 cities, and education, transportation, energy and other fields have been affected unprecedentedly.
• The French national railway company (SNCF) said there were "significant disruptions" to train lines across France.
All or part of the metro lines in Paris have been suspended;
• Workers at several refineries of the Total Energy Group went on strike, disrupting deliveries of petroleum products;
• According to EDF data, at noon, about 44.5% of employees were on strike, and power generation fell by 10%;
•The French Ministry of Education stated that more than 40% of primary school teachers and more than one-third of secondary school teachers went on strike that day.
"Absurd!"
Two-thirds of French oppose raising retirement age
On the 10th local time, French officials announced a retirement system reform plan that has attracted much attention from all walks of life, delaying the statutory retirement age to 64 years old.
French Prime Minister Borne said that the postponement of the retirement age will start in September 2023 and will be delayed by 3 months every year.
The ultimate goal is to raise the mandatory retirement age from the current 62 to 64 by 2030.
This means that, starting in 2027, the French will need to work for at least 43 years to receive their full pension.
However, those who started working before the age of 20, practitioners in specific industries such as police and firefighters, and people with disabilities can retire early.
On January 19, 2023, protests against the reform of the retirement system broke out in France.
The picture shows a demonstrator walking past riot police.
The French Prime Minister said that working more will enable future retirees to obtain higher pensions, and it is also related to the financial balance of the French pension system.
Critics often describe France's existing pension system as "intricate".
According to the Pensions Advisory Council report, "the financial position of the pension system will deteriorate significantly between 2023 and 2027."
The reforms come as France faces high levels of inflation as the country recovers from the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
About two-thirds of French people oppose raising the retirement age, according to polls reported by AFP.
According to a poll released by French BFM TV, most respondents agree to maintain the retirement age of 62.
One stevedore said that he and his colleagues were talking about reform, "it makes me very frustrated".
He is 46 years old and needs to get up for work at 3:30 in the morning.
"I can barely walk after I finish working every day. My back hurts, my joints hurt, my ankle hurts. Working like this until I'm over 60 seems completely impossible to me. I won't be able to move on. I'll have to find A better job. This reform is ridiculous!"
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the reform promoted by the Macron government is the seventh reform of the pension system in France since President Mitterrand lowered the retirement age to 60 in 1982.
Each such change sparked mass protests.
Where is Macron?
However, just as large-scale protests broke out in France, President Macron was not in the country. He visited Spain on the 19th.
Data map: French President Macron.
However, when asked about calls against the reform of the retirement system, Macron said that people have the legal right to express their opinions, but he hopes that violence will not occur.
Faced with strike pressure, French officials still indicated that they would continue to promote relevant reforms.
French Prime Minister Borne said during his inspection in the suburbs of Paris earlier that he hoped that trade unions "can take responsibility" and that strikes "should not punish the people."
She once again emphasized the necessity of reforming the retirement system, and said that she would continue to promote the work of persuading the public.
Borne said that she is well aware that reforming the retirement system will cause doubts, and that what the official offers is a plan that can guarantee financial balance and ensure its fairness.
She emphasized that "the reality must be faced".
French Budget Minister Attar also said that the reform of the retirement system is imperative.
He warned that if relevant reforms are not carried out, huge debts will be unavoidable in the future.
He said the details of the reforms had been discussed with trade unions for months.
According to the plan, the retirement system reform plan will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration on January 23, and will be submitted to parliament for debate in early February.
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