France Braces for New Pension Strikes, Mass Protests

Protesters hold a banner reading "all on strike" during a rally called by French trade unions in Toulouse, southwestern France, on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Protesters hold a banner reading "all on strike" during a rally called by French trade unions in Toulouse, southwestern France, on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
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France Braces for New Pension Strikes, Mass Protests

Protesters hold a banner reading "all on strike" during a rally called by French trade unions in Toulouse, southwestern France, on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Protesters hold a banner reading "all on strike" during a rally called by French trade unions in Toulouse, southwestern France, on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

France braced for new strikes and mass demonstrations against a deeply unpopular pensions overhaul on Tuesday, a day after lawmakers started debating the contested bill.

President Emmanuel Macron made the reform the heart of his re-election campaign last year, and is determined to implement it despite fierce opposition from the political left and unions, but also the wider public.

Tuesday's protests are the third such nationwide rallies organized since the start of the year, AFP said.

Last week's demonstrations brought out 1.3 million people across the country, according to the police, while unions claimed more than 2.5 million people took part.

Either way, they were the largest such protests in France since 2010.

Trains and the Paris metro are again expected to see "severe disruptions" on Tuesday, operators said, with around one in five flights at Orly airport south of the capital expected to be cancelled.

"We're counting on there being rallies so that the country's elected representatives take into account the opinion of citizens," Philippe Martinez, leader of the hard-left CGT union, told the France 2 broadcaster on Monday.

More marches are planned for Saturday, although unions for rail operator SNCF said they would not call for a strike at the weekend, a holiday getaway date in some regions.

Macron's proposal includes hiking the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old -- still lower than in many European countries -- and increasing the number of years people must make contributions for a full pension.

His ruling party is hoping to pass the bill with the help of allies on the political right, without having to resort to controversial executive powers that dispense with the need for a ballot.

But members of the left-wing opposition are staunchly opposed, and have filed for thousands of amendments.

- 'Reform or bankruptcy' -
Members of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's government struggled to defend the overhaul as necessary in parliament on Monday, with many in the lower house booing.

As pressure grew, Borne on Sunday offered a key concession, saying people who started work aged 20 or 21 would be allowed to leave work a year earlier.

But the head of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger, dismissed the offer as a mere "band aid" -- not a response to widespread public criticism.

Macron aims to lift the pensions system out of deficit by 2030 by finding around 18 billion euros ($19.5 billion) of annual savings -- mostly from pushing people to work for longer and abolishing some special retirement schemes.

"It's reform or bankruptcy," Public Accounts Minister Gabriel Attal said in parliament on Monday.

But critics say that women will on average have to wait longer for retirement than men, as many have interruptions in their careers from childbearing and care responsibilities.

Opponents also say the reform fails to adequately account for people in physically strenuous jobs like builders and does not deal with companies' reluctance to hire and retain older workers.

Borne claimed the government would pile pressure on companies to end the practice of letting go older employees, which leaves many struggling to find work in their final years before pension age.



Netanyahu Expected to Talk Tariffs with Trump in Washington on Monday, Officials Say

US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File photo
US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File photo
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Netanyahu Expected to Talk Tariffs with Trump in Washington on Monday, Officials Say

US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File photo
US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File photo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House on Monday to discuss recently announced tariffs with US President Donald Trump, three Israeli officials said on Saturday.

The impromptu visit was first reported by Axios, which said that if the visit takes place, the Israeli leader would be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump in person to try to negotiate a deal to remove tariffs.

Netanyahu's office has not confirmed the visit, that would likely also include discussions on Iran and Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The surprise invite by Trump came in a phone-call on Thursday with Netanyahu, who is presently on a visit to Hungary, when the Israeli leader raised the tariff issue, according to the Israeli officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.

As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17% tariff. The US is Israel's closest ally and largest single trading partner.

An Israeli finance ministry official said on Thursday that Trump's latest tariff announcement could impact Israel's exports of machinery and medical equipment.

Israel had already moved to cancel its remaining tariffs on US imports on Tuesday. The two countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago and about 98% of goods from the US are now tax-free.