French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born’s meeting with unions today to find a way out of the crisis caused by the controversial pension reform ended in a “failure”, according to the unions.

The government hoped to find a compromise, while the unions for their part continue to call for the repeal of the reform promoted by Emmanuel Macron, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

The meeting with Elizabeth Bourne, the first since the mass anti-reform mobilization began in January, however, lasted less than an hour and ended in a “failure,” according to the eight organizations involved.

“We repeated to the Prime Minister that there can be no other democratic way out than withdrawing the text. The prime minister replied that she wanted the text to remain,” said Cyril Champagnier, president of the CFTC.

Union members warned they would leave the meeting if Elizabeth Bourne refused to talk about lowering the retirement age.

The prime minister, who hosted the organizations for the first time since January 10 at the premier’s palace in Matignon, promised to “listen to all questions” despite “points of disagreement.”

Laurent Bergé, head of the CFDT, France’s largest trade union, warned that if the answer is no at 64, “we’ll quit.”

This reform triggered an unprecedented mobilization in France, which resulted in 1.3 million people taking to the streets on March 7 (according to the authorities).

Unions and the government are now waiting for the Constitutional Council to decide on April 14 whether the reform is in line with French law. On the same day, the Constitutional Council will also rule on the legitimacy of a text submitted by the leftist opposition that could pave the way for a referendum on the pension issue.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.