France: at Rungis, Emmanuel Macron defends his disputed pension reform
Dressed in a white coat and navigating between carcasses of meat, Mr Macron (our photo) defended the postponement of the retirement age from 62 to 64, in the name of defending a system that constitutes "the heritage of those who have none".
AFP - BENOIT TESSIER
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Emmanuel Macron returns to contact with the French.
After weeks away from the pension reform battle, the French president appeared early on February 21 at the national interest market (MIN) in Rungis near Paris, the largest fresh produce market in the world.
The Head of State has taken care of his return to the political debate.
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With our special correspondent at Rungis,
Julien Chavanne
White coat on the back, Emmanuel Macron arrived here around 5:30 a.m. to meet "
France who gets up early
", in the words of the Elysée.
Between the carcasses of meat and poultry, the president was challenged by market employees: “
Today, the middle class to which I belong, we are diving, I tell you.
We do 70 to 80 hours a week, sir.
No Saturday, no Sunday, no public holidays.
I haven't taken a vacation to pay the bills for three years
.
Emmanuel Macron's response: "
We cannot redistribute, that's what I tell people if we don't produce behind it.
So what you say is completely what I think
”.
The French president expected it, he even hoped for it when he came here.
The decor is perfect for talking about retirement: here he is surrounded by French people who work at night with heavy loads.
Ideal cast
An ideal casting to defend its reform: “
I think that we are not at the end of this road.
Everyone has common sense in our country, but on the whole, people know that if we all have to work a little longer on average, we will not be able to finance our pensions well.
»
With this visit, Emmanuel Macron also had a political ulterior motive.
Praising France, which gets up early and the value of work, is a wink in the direction of the right.
The support of the Republicans is essential for him to pass his pension reform in Parliament.
►Also read
: Pension reform: in the cacophony, the first debates ended in the Assembly
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