The unpopular proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was enacted into law on Saturday, the day after the country’s constitutional body approved the change.
The law became effective due to Macron’s signature and publication in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
After being signed by Macron and published in the Official Journal of the French Republic, the law took effect immediately.
On Friday, the Constitutional Council denied a portion of the government’s pension legislation but authorized the higher minimum retirement age, which was central to Macron’s plan and the target of protests from opponents.
The nine-member council’s decision culminated in months of tumultuous parliamentary and street debates. After the ruling, spontaneous demonstrations occurred in Paris and throughout the country.
They demanded a massive May 1 protest.
The principal French labor unions, which have coordinated 12 nationwide protests against the plan since January in an effort to defeat it, have pledged to continue fighting until it is withdrawn. They called for another large-scale demonstration on May 1, International Workers’ Day.
The government argued that requiring people to work an additional two years before qualifying for a pension was necessary to keep the pension system viable as the population matures. Opponents proposed increasing taxes on the affluent or employers instead and said the change threatened a hard-won social safety net.
The retirement age increase was intended to be the signature initiative of Macron’s second tenure. Since he was reelected a year ago, the president’s popularity has plummeted to its lowest level in four years, according to opinion polls.
Macron was elected in 2017 on the basis of a pledge to make the French economy more competitive, including by requiring people to work extended hours.
Since then, his administration has made it simpler to hire and terminate employees, lowered taxes on businesses, and made it more difficult for the unemployed to receive benefits.
