PARIS. Public transport, schools and refineries were paralyzed yesterday as French alliances staged a third consecutive strike against the presidential pension reform Emmanuel Macron, which increases the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. Yesterday’s protests follow the first day of parliamentary debate on the bill, which is the biggest test for Macron’s second term and is expected to largely determine his presidency. The main problem of the French President is that he does not have a majority in the National Assembly and therefore it is expected that it will be very difficult for him to pass unpopular measures through the body. The changes mean that workers will have to work two more years before they retire, and they are necessary to ensure that the country’s insurance system, considered one of the most generous in the world, does not go bankrupt.

The French view retirement as a second life, not a “waiting room before death,” retired Bernard Chevalier explained during a demonstration in Nice. It is worth noting that in France the retirement period is one of the longest in OECD countries. Labor Minister Olivier Dishop rejected accusations by the opposition that the government was refusing to face the truth and insisted reforms were needed. “The pension system creates a deficit and if we are interested in insurance, we must keep it,” he commented in a radio interview. Philippe Martinez, leader of the left-wing CGT union, said Macron was playing a dangerous game by pushing for highly unpopular reforms at a time when households were already facing high inflation. “Those of you who support reform don’t understand what it’s like to work hard, what it’s like to wake up and feel pain in your back,” Rachel Keke, France’s first cleaning lady to become an MP, told Parliament. Meanwhile, Macron’s conservative opponents, whose support the president needs to secure the necessary majority in the national assembly, are demanding concessions for those who started working young.

As the Guardian correspondent in Paris, Angelique Chrysafi, points out, Macron’s credibility will depend on the drafting of the bill. He is internationally regarded as a skilled manager of crises, from the pandemic and the cost of living to the war in Ukraine, but centrists at home want him to keep a specific project behind him, especially at a time when Marine Le Pen’s far-right influence is consolidating. His narrative for now is that he wants France to work harder and longer. After the introduction of restrictions on the unemployment benefits system, employment increased. However, his pension battle carries serious political risks and is the most important test of his second term.