Emmanuel Macron has said he has heard the public’s anger over his contested pension reform which has sparked three months of protests but insisted once again the measure was necessary, reports The Guardian.
In a televised address late on Monday, the French president said he regretted no “common ground” could be reached over the legislation which raises the official retirement age from 62 to 64.
The measures “needed to guarantee everyone’s pension” will come into effect in stages from the autumn, he said.
He admitted increasing prices and certain jobs “don’t allow many French people to live well”, but insisted that “gradually working more means also producing more wealth for the whole nation”.
The recorded 15-minute broadcast on prime-time television was the first announcement Macron had made since signing the new bill into law on Saturday just hours after it had been approved by France’s highest court.
After the stick came the carrot: in an attempt to soothe the public mood, Macron promised a series of “concrete measures” to boost pay and careers, as well as improve the education, health and justice systems, to be announced within the next 100 days.
He called for “conciliation and unity”, an appeal addressed to the unions who have vowed to continue their protests.