FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron said today that the pensions Bill he pushed through without a National Assembly vote needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.”
Mr Macron imposed his deeply unpopular legislation raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 despite mass protests.
The move sparked two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly, one of which the government only narrowly survived.
During an national television interview broadcast today Mr Macron said that the Bill would “continue on its democratic path.”
The Constitutional Council must review the legislation in the coming weeks before it can become law.
Mr Macron added that the “reform is not a luxury, it is not fun, it’s a necessity for the country.”
French Communist Party general secretary Fabien Roussel pointed out that the president had said nothing “to appease the legitimate anger expressed against retirement at 64.
“We call for change, respect for the world of work and social democracy.
“We, the forces of the left and ecologists, are ready to govern.”
Trade unions have called further nationwide demonstrations and strikes on Thursday to press for the Bill’s withdrawal.
In one of the latest protests, dock workers in Marseille blocked access to the city’s commercial port early today.
