French union leaders and opposition politicians on Wednesday reacted with outrage to a televised interview with President Emmanuel Macron in which he discussed planned pension reforms recently forced through by the government, reports FRANCE 24.
In an interview broadcast on national television channels TF1 and France 2, Macron defiantly vowed to push through the deeply unpopular pensions reform.
The president said he was prepared to accept unpopularity in the face of sometimes violent protests across France.
Aides said the televised discussion was aimed at "calming things down", as weeks of strikes against the reforms show little sign of abating, but initial reactions showed it might have quite the opposite effect.
"Lies!" the moderate, reform-minded Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT, France's largest union, tweeted, accusing Macron of "rewriting history" after he said unions had not offered an alternative to his pension bill.
Philippe Martinez, who leads the more hardline CGT union, told French media that Macron was mocking workers with what he called an "outlandish" interview.
The union leader said the interview showcased the French President's "hypocrisy", adding that Macron's comments showed "disdain for the millions of people who have been protesting".