Today, Saturday, French cities witnessed demonstrations to denounce the amendment to the pension system that President Emmanuel Macron wants, amid the rejection of this project by political forces and unions.
And the major trade unions in France called for demonstrations in an attempt to force Macron and his government to back down from the plan to amend the retirement system, as all French trade unions united in a common front against the project that requires raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
In addition, the number of years an employee needs to pay into the system in order to receive a full pension will be increased faster, many individual schemes offering privileges to certain occupational groups will be abolished, while the minimum monthly pension will be increased to around 1,200 euros ( $1,303).
The proposals were opposed by both left-wing and far-right forces in the National Assembly (parliament).
Yesterday, Friday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Bloomberg TV that he ruled out the strikes affecting his country's economy, adding that the French economy was "going well."
The government showed no sign of backing down, with Le Maire saying, "We strongly believe that this reform is a necessity for France. It is the best way to ensure more prosperity for the French people."
The reform still needs the approval of parliament, in which Macron lost his absolute majority, but he hopes to pass it with the support of conservatives.