French President Emmanuel Macron has enacted his unpopular pension reform into law, despite three months of outrage and union requests to delay implementation.After the document was published overnight in Frances official journal, the modifications became law on Saturday. This came after Frances top constitutional court approved the legislations core on Friday, including the major change of increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64.What is there in Macrons pension reforms that sparked public outrageThe reforms core features, such as increasing the retirement age to 64 and extending the service required for a full pension, were approved by the nine-member constitutional council, which said the legislation complied with French law. However, six minor recommendations were rejected, including the one requiring large corporations to publicise how many people over 55 they employ and creating a special contract for older workers.The publication of the text in Frances Official Journal – the official Gazette – indicates that it has now become legislation. “As a result, the Social Security Code has been amended.” In the first paragraph, the word sixty-two in the text is substituted by the word sixty-four in the text, referring to the retirement age.How will this affect Emmanuel Macrons Popularity as the PresidentUnions called for massive Labour Day rallies on May 1, and violent protests occurred in several towns overnight after the decision was made public. The effort of enacting the law has become the most difficult national problem of Macrons second term as the President of France, as he faces strong public opposition to the reforms along with dwindling personal popularity.The constitutional councils judgement may be a bitter win for Macron, as experts believe it has come at a high personal cost to the 45-year-old. The presidents popularity ratings are reaching their lowest point in history. Many citizens have been enraged by his decision to rush the pensions amendment through parliament without a vote, using a legal but disputed procedure that opponents have labelled anti-democratic. Polls continually reveal that two out of every three French citizens oppose working for another two years.Based on government data, Macron has deemed the shift “necessary” to avert yearly pension shortfalls of €13.5 billion ($14.8 billion) by 2030. “Remain on course. That is my slogan,” Macron declared as he examined Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Friday, four years after a terrible fire nearly demolished the mediaeval edifice.The prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, stated that “there are no winners or losers” following the ruling. However, the leftwing Liberation Daily declared in its banner above a photograph of a rally, “Not defeated: opponents of the reform will not quit.” Bikes, scooters and trash were set on fire in the capital at night, while rallies in other towns, including Marseille and Toulouse, drew hundreds.Protesters set fire to the entrances of a police station and a conference hall in Rennes, France. As of about 10.30 p.m. local time, 112 persons had been taken into custody, according to Paris police. According to the interior ministry, approximately 380,000 people marched to the streets country-wide on Thursday, the latest day of union-led protest. Unions released a unified declaration urging Macron not to sign the bill into law, claiming that the matter was “not resolved.”The court rejected an attempt by opposition MPs to push a referendum on an alternative pension plan that would have preserved the retirement age at 62. France falls behind most European neighbours, many of which have increased the retirement age to 65 or higher. Opponents of the amendments argue that they discriminate against women and unskilled workers who began their professional lives early and undermine the right to a long retirement.
