After months of protests in France against pension reforms, President Emmanuel Macron has launched a 100-day plan to bring the country together. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne should present proposals on working conditions, security, education and health issues, Macron said on Monday.
“We have to be able to take stock on July 14,” he said, referring to the French national holiday. “We have 100 days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action for France ahead of us.” Macron expressed regret that the pension reforms were not supported by a broad majority.
In a first reaction, the leader of the country’s largest union, Laurent Berger of the CFDT, said the speech failed to address the anger of the country’s people. “There’s just a kind of emptiness there, it doesn’t contain anything, we expected something else,” he said.
The unions have said that unless the controversial pension reform is rolled back, there will be no talks with the government on other issues. On Friday, the Constitutional Council approved the core of the reform. It was brought by Borne with a constitutional trick without a vote through Parliament. According to polls, a large majority of French people oppose the changes. (Reuters)
