Paris, Mar. 29, (dpa/GNA) - Talks between the French government and trade unions could be on the horizon as a political row and street demonstrations over pension reforms continue to rock the country, according to several French media reports on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne plans to meet representatives of the trade unions early next week, after President Emmanuel Macron had initially said the reform was non-negotiable.
Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT union, told France Info on Wednesday: “I will go to explain why this reform is a dead end, why the 64 years is being rejected.” He said it was necessary to understand that there was a deep rejection of the reform and a strong resentment of the way the issue was handled.
France has been plagued with strikes since the beginning of the year.
The protests are directed against the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64. The government wants to close a looming gap in the pension fund with the reform. The dispute intensified because Macron pushed the text through the National Assembly without a vote.
The move confirmed the passage of the legislation, but triggered two motions of no confidence in the government, which failed. The reform will now be reviewed by the Constitutional Council. Macron wants it to come into force by the end of the year.
The president had already indicated that there would be talks with the trade unions, but said they would not discuss the pension reform and would only take place in a few weeks’ time.
“I will talk about (the reform),” Berger said, referring to talks next week. “And if they tell me ‘you can’t talk about it,’ then we have to leave.”
GNA