Common Dreams: French Workers Erupt Again to Fight Macron's Assault on Pensions
EDITOR'S NOTE: We thank Kay Tillow, one of our regular contributors, for sending us this article about French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to make people work longer before they can receive a full pension. U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga., wants to do likewise stateside. Check out this article from The Independent, a British newspaper: Republican seeking to raise Social Security age claims ‘people want to work longer’ This is your website and we welcome submissions from you about issues that affect unions and the working class. Email us at bcraig8960@gmail.com
"Retirement should be a second life, not a waiting room for death," said one pensioner.
By KENNY STANCIL
For the third time in less than a month, hundreds of thousands of workers across France participated Tuesday in strikes and rallies to protest President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular plan to force people to work longer before they qualify for a full pension.
The latest nationwide mobilization against Macron's assault on French retirement benefits brought at least 750,000 people to the streets, with turnout lower than on January 19 and January 31. Tuesday's walkouts and marches came one day after the National Assembly began debating legislation that would raise France's official retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030.
"Those of you who support this reform don't understand how tough jobs are, what it's like to wake up with an aching back," Rachel Keke, the first cleaner in France to become a lawmaker, said during a tense debate in parliament on Monday.