French president Emmanuel Macron's government attempts to revive his economic reform drive and score a major political victory this week with a launch of the pension system's overhaul in the face of vehement trade union opposition, reports Yahoo! News.
Prime minister Élisabeth Borne is to detail on Tuesday plans to make the French work longer, most likely by raising the retirement age to 64 or 65 from 62 currently.
With one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialised world, France also spends more than most other countries on pensions at nearly 14% of economic output, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The reform's passage through parliament will not be easy. Macron lacks a working majority and will need to win over several dozen conservative lawmakers or use his constitutional powers to bypass the assembly, which would enrage the opposition and further aggravate the public.
Pension reform in France, where the right to retire on a full pension at 62 is deeply cherished, is always a highly sensitive issue and even more so now with social discontent mounting over the surging cost of living.
The government says reform is necessary to keep the pension system's finances out of the red in the coming years, but a success could also be a political game-changer for Macron after he lost control of parliament last year.