French unions poised for nationwide protests on June 6

[May 02, 2023]  PARIS (Reuters) -French trade unions on Tuesday announced a new nationwide day of protests on June 6 against President Emmanuel Macron's decision to increase the retirement age by two years to 64. 

People attend the traditional May Day labour march, a day of mobilisation against the French pension reform law and for social justice, in Paris, France May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

The policy change, which Macron signed into law last month despite months of protests and strikes, has crystallised discontent against a president perceived by many in France as being aloof and indifferent to their daily hardships.

With lawmakers poised to discuss on June 8 a draft bill tabled by deputies from the opposition Liot party to cancel that new legislation, the unions said in a joint statement that the day of industrial action on June 6 was meant to "allow all workers to make themselves heard by the MPs."

As the government kept a close eye on whether the unions will maintain a rare united front, the unions said they would work on joint proposals to improve workers' conditions.

Police clashed on Monday with hundreds of black-clad anarchists in Paris and other cities during union-led protests against Macron's increase in the retirement age, as workers staged Labour Day rallies across Europe.

Opinion polls show a substantial majority of French people oppose the higher retirement age.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Jean-Stephane Brosse, Ingrid Melander, Elizabeth Pineau;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Bernadette Baum)

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