France’s Senate approves deeply unpopular pension reform plan
It was passed by 195 votes in the Senate on Saturday, amid hundreds of thousands of people protesting in the streets against President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark reforms.
Through this, the opportunity to turn this reform plan into law went one step further. Now a committee will prepare its final draft. It will then be submitted to the Senate and the National Assembly for a final vote.
After the vote, Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne said an important step had been taken this evening. The pension reform plan passed the Senate by a landslide. He hopes the government can pass the reform plan with a majority vote in parliament.
Meanwhile, labor unions, which have fiercely opposed the move, are still hoping to push the Macron government back from finalizing the reform plan.
The country’s Ministry of Home Affairs said that about 368,000 people protested against this plan across the country. However, the police estimated that eight to one million people participated in the protest.
It should be noted that the French government plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Besides, to get the full amount of pension, one has to serve at least 43 years. Protests are going on across the country against such a decision of the government.
An opinion poll broadcast Saturday on BFMTV showed 63 percent of French people in favor of protests and 54 percent in favor of strikes and blockades. News from AFP
