France smoulders as pension protests erupt

A wave of angry protests swept across France today in the wake of President Macron’s decision to force through highly controversial pension reforms without a parliamentary vote.

Protesters blocked a key highway around the French capital this morning, while strikers at one of the country’s largest refineries vowed to escalate action by halting production this weekend. French unions have announced another major day of coordinated strike action against the reform on Thursday.

Over 300 demonstrators have been arrested nationwide following clashes with the police last night, in which some started fires on side streets and others smashed shop windows. 

MPs from Macron’s centrist Renaissance party have even called for police protection over “fear of reprisals” amid public fury that the age of retirement will indeed rise from 62 to 64.

Over the past three months, Macron’s proposed pension reform has prompted eight of the biggest nationwide strikes in decades. Rejected by around two-thirds of the population, it has regularly been described by opponents as “inhuman” and “degrading”.  

For those abroad, the degree of backlash is perhaps hard to fathom – after all, retirement at 64 isn’t exactly hardline. Yet the right to retire on a full pension at 62 – the lowest of any country in the EU – is deeply cherished in France.

And the “undemocratic” manner in which the bill has been pushed through will only add fuel to the fire. 

Minutes before MPs were scheduled to vote on the controversial bill yesterday afternoon, Macron – realising he probably wouldn’t win a majority – took the nuclear option and triggered Article 49.3 of the French constitution. 

This special constitutional power – which grants the government the right to pass a bill without a vote – isn’t as obscure as it may sound. In fact, it’s been invoked precisely 100 times in the more than 60 years of the Fifth Republic, by 16 different prime ministers. And the current PM, Élisabeth Borne, has already used it several times – albeit for less controversial bills. 

Understandably, it’s a tactic more readily employed by those without an in-built majority in parliament – thus it reflects the weaker position of Macron’s centrist party, following major gains for the far right and radical left parties in last June’s parliamentary elections. 

Invoking Article 49.3 doesn’t guarantee success, as it permits the opposition parties to respond with a no-confidence motion. But in this instance, Macron is probably in the clear. For a no-confidence vote to pass, it would require significant backing from the centre-right Les Républicains – something the party is unlikely to provide.  

That said, the social fallout will be a lot harder for Macron to survive.

The 45-year-old has staked his second term and his reputation as an economic reformer on making the French work for longer – a policy he views as vital for increasing France’s economic competitiveness.

He has already been forced to dilute his plans, after initially proposing a new retirement age of 65. To back down entirely would completely undermine his authority. Yet unions are adamant they won’t relent until the bill is revoked. 

France looks set to enter a period of intense political uncertainty. And it seems the French President has chosen his hill to die on.

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