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PARIS, Jan. 10 (AP) — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born unveiled Tuesday a controversial pension reform plan aimed at raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, sparking controversy. Strong criticism and protests from the Left Opposition and trade unions.
The minimum retirement age to be entitled to a full pension will be gradually raised by three months each year starting this year, Borne told a news conference in Paris, in line with President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to The long-term commitment is consistent.
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In addition, she said, from 2027, people would need to have worked for at least 43 years to receive their full pension.
“Working more will lead to higher pensions for future retirees,” Borne said.
“By 2030, our system will be financially balanced,” she added.
Borne added that those who started working before the age of 20 would be able to retire early. Certain categories of workers, such as police officers and firefighters, will also be able to retire early.
The government argues that the French are living longer than in the past and therefore need to work longer to make the pension system financially sustainable. All French workers receive a state pension.
After talks with Byrne last week, centre-left and far-left trade unions unanimously expressed their disapproval of the proposed reforms.
Some are in favor of increasing wage contributions paid by employers.
Eight of the country’s main unions will gather on Tuesday evening, marking the first day of protests against pension reform.
Heated debate in parliament was also to be expected.
Macron’s centrist coalition lost its parliamentary majority last year – and most opposition parties oppose the changes.
Macron’s lawmakers hope to be able to ally with conservative Republican members to pass the measure. Otherwise, the government could use a special power to force the law through without a vote — at the cost of a lot of criticism.
Pension reform was an electoral promise of Macron, who failed to implement similar measures during his first term. The proposal at the time sparked strikes and protests across the country before the COVID-19 crisis caused the government to delay the reforms. Last year, Macron was re-elected for a second term.
A report last year by the French Pension Steering Committee showed that the pension system is expected to run a deficit over the next decade and the government will have to make up for it.
A minimum retirement age applies to those who have worked enough years to qualify. Those who do not meet the conditions, such as the many women who interrupted their careers to raise children, and those who studied long and started their careers later, had to work until they were 67 before retiring without penalty.
After taxes, the average pension this year is €1,400 per month ($1,500 per month). But this average masks differences between pension plans across occupations.
Over the past three decades, the French government has reformed the system several times, but each reform has been met with massive demonstrations. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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