DEADLOCK
If Macron emerges the winner from the weeks-long showdown, he will have gone further than any other French postwar leader in shaking up the pension system. However, negotiations continue on Friday between the unions and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. It is still possible the plans will be watered down as the government seeks to break the deadlock. Hard-left unions are calling for the government to abandon the bill. The reform-minded CFDT union, France’s largest, is open to the planned universal “points” system, but says an increase of the retirement age “crosses a red line”. Unions brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets in cities across France on Thursday but turnout was down on past protests and their momentum is faltering. Participation in strikes now in their 37th day has waned and public support fallen, according to opinion polls. Philippe has agreed to seek a way of balancing the pension budget other than by raising the retirement age while the bill is being scrutinized in parliament. His government has promised to include any alternative solutions as amendments. But that has so far been rejected by the unions. “A compromise will only be found once the sword of Damocles that is the retirement age is no longer hanging over us,” Laurent Escure, leader of the UNSA union said after his meeting with Philippe. Parliament is due to debate the bill from mid-February.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Story of a survivor championing patient-led approach to dealing with NCDs in Ghana
10 mins -
Haiti’s PM Ariel Henry resigns as transitional council is sworn in
32 mins -
Unforgettable stories from Primary School English text books
32 mins -
Jodie Comer to star in 28 Days Later sequel
41 mins -
CAFCC: GH₵36k for Baba Yara Stadium usage was for GFA, not Dreams FC – NSA clarifies
47 mins -
‘Lost’ Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m
47 mins -
CAFCC: Zamalek arrive in Kumasi ahead of second leg against Dreams FC
52 mins -
Megan Thee Stallion: Cameraman accuses rapper of ‘hostile’ workplace
52 mins -
I would rather invest GH₵50,000 in my soul than go for body enhancement – Celestine Donkor
1 hour -
MFWA presses for transparency as it requests KPMG report on GRA-SML contract through RTI
1 hour -
Four interdicted headteachers transferred after GES probe
1 hour -
Plastic Pollution: UN leads negotiations for international legally binding instrument to regulate usage
1 hour -
UKGCC to tour Golden Exotics on May 2, 2024 as part of World Press Freedom Day
2 hours -
NIC leads insurance firms to donate blood as part of 2023 Blood Donation Campaign
2 hours -
EC sets May 7 to 27 for voters’ register update
2 hours