French President Emmanuel Macron faces another day of strikes on Wednesday over highly contested pension reforms that he appears poised to push through despite months of protests. As the legislation enters its final stretch in parliament, trade unions are preparing another attempt to pressure the government and lawmakers into rejecting the proposed hike in the retirement age to 64.
The last day of protests on Saturday saw a far lower turnout than in previous rounds, and strikes by railway, refinery and public‑sector workers last week did not paralyse the country as unions had hoped. The most visible impact of the standoff so far has been the accumulation of rubbish in the streets of Paris, where garbage collectors and street cleaners have stopped work. “We won’t have the same level of disturbances of public transport as during previous protest days,” Transport Minister Clément Beaune said on Tuesday.
The main suspense is whether Macron’s minority government can muster the required number of votes in the lower parliament, where it will need the support of the opposition Republicans party (LR) to pass the legislation. A joint vote from the National Assembly and the Senate could come as early as Thursday.
Macron’s flagship proposal would raise the minimum retirement age from its current level of 62 to 64, bringing France more in line with its EU neighbours, most of which have pushed the retirement age to 65 or higher. The law also raises the requirements for a full pension and would abolish the retirement privileges enjoyed by some public‑sector employees, such as those at the Paris Metro. After initially claiming the reform was intended to make the system fairer, the government now emphasizes that it is about savings and avoiding deficits in the coming decades.
In a speech to MPs on Tuesday, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne insisted that there was a majority in parliament for the changes, appealing to LR lawmakers who have long championed pension reform. A vote in favour, she said, was “not support for the government.” “A majority exists that is not scared of reforms, even unpopular ones, when they are necessary,” Borne added. Opinion polls show that around two‑thirds of French people oppose the legislation.
If Borne fails to find a workable majority in the lower house, she could invoke article 49.3 of the constitution, which would allow her to pass the legislation without a vote. Analysts warn that this would deprive her and Macron of democratic legitimacy in the face of hostile public opinion and could expose the government to a confidence vote it might lose. Political scientist Gilles Finchelstein, head of the Jean‑Jaurès Foundation, said using article 49.3 would be “a defeat for Borne, the government and the president.” He added, “In the short term, it’s a false suspense. Everyone is raising the tension, but it’s very unlikely that the government needs to use the 49.3 because they will have a majority.”
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