France’s Constitutional Council has given the green light to President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to raise the retirement age and sparked weeks of popular protests, accelerating its entry into law.
The bill raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 but has caused massive and sometimes violent protests in recent weeks.
Minor reservations
The council also gave the green light to the bill with some minor reservations about it, a move that could be a major relief for Macron and his government.
He said that the Government’s actions were in accordance with the Constitution and therefore agreed to raise the retirement age, while eliminating some measures that promote employment opportunities for older workers, on the grounds that they were not concerned with this legislation.
House announced its decision on the bill
Labour Minister Olivier Dussobet revealed that the bill will come into force on September 1, as initially planned, ignoring trade union demands not to issue it against the backdrop of mass popular opposition.
When the House announced its decision on the bill, demonstrators gathered outside the Paris city building and held banners reading “climate of anger” and “strikes continue until the bill is withdrawn.”
Raising the retirement age
Opinion polls show that the vast majority opposes raising the retirement age, as well as that the government has invoked Article 49.3 of the constitution that allows it to pass the bill without a final vote in parliament.
Macron and his government hope the decision will curb union-led protests, which have at times turned violent.
Don’t back down
Macron said earlier this week: “The country must continue to move forward, work and face the challenges that lie ahead.” But the opposition and trade unions have warned they will not back down.
The Constitutional Council also rejected a proposal by the opposition to hold a referendum for citizens on the bill.
The opposition has made another attempt to hold a referendum on the bill, but the House will only consider it in early May.
Other reads:
Washington: Arrest of Accused of Leaking Classified Pentagon Documents
Major security breach threatens Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland
A train derails And crashed into a house in Egypt
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over escalating tensions in Sudan
