The French should work two years longer before they can retire, prime minister Élisabeth Borne said, detailing an unpopular reform of the pension system that risks strikes and will test President Emmanuel Macron's ability to deliver change., reports FRANCE 24.
The long-delayed overhaul pushes the retirement age to 64, a move opposed by four in every five citizens according to an Odoxa poll, at a time when many are already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.
"I'm well aware that changing our pension system raises questions and fears among the French," Borne said on Tuesday, adding that her government would work on convincing the French that the reform was necessary.
"We offer today a project to balance our pension system, a project that is fair," she said.
Overhauling the pension system was a central pillar of Macron's reformist agenda when he entered the Élysée Palace in 2017. But he shelved his first attempt in 2020 as the government battled to contain the Covid outbreak.
The second attempt will not be any easier.