Pension reform

Pension reform - French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a "rapid compromise" with unions over a pension reform. The government claims the reform would be fairer and more sustainable.

Unions have staged four consecutive weeks of strikes that have crippled train and metro services across the country. Macron called for a “rapid compromise” between unions and his government, which has already offered concessions to a growing list of sectors in an effort to woo workers and divide the unions.

Police officers, gendarmes, firefighters and prison guards were among the first to secure guarantees that they would still be able to retire at 57 – and, in some cases, at 52. Air traffic controllers won the same rights, while air pilots and stewards obtained smaller concessions, as did truck drivers, fishermen and Paris Opera dancers.

As the list of exemptions grows longer, opposition parties have mocked a reform that is becoming universal in name only. Macron himself has warned against allowing special treatment for any one group, arguing that more concessions would surely follow, “like dominoes”.

But two categories have been apparently ignored by the government workers at SNCF, France’s national rail company, and RATP, the Paris transport firm – which have spearheaded the strike movement and rank among the reform’s biggest losers.

Last local news

Evening Update Friday 18th July 2025

A major wildfire broke out Thursday evening burning 240 hectares and prompting the evacuation of 104 people in Martigues, Bouches-du-Rhône. Meanwhile,... Evening Update Friday 18th July 2025 Read More

18/07/2025

French and Riviera News Friday 18th July 2025

Train traffic between Hyères and Toulon has been halted following a serious incident. Trains were affected on Thursday, July 17th, shortly after 1pm a... French and Riviera News Friday 18th July 2025 Read More

18/07/2025

Weather Forecast - Friday 18th July 2025

Clear skies with a gentle breeze. Highs of 30 degrees in Monaco and Antibes, 31 degrees in Nice and 29 degrees in Menton and Saint-Tropez. This evenin... Weather Forecast - Friday 18th July 2025 Read More

18/07/2025

Evening Update Thursday 17th July 2025

A 38-year-old man has been fatally struck by a truck early Thursday, the 17th of July, on the A8 motorway near Coudoux, Bouches-du-Rhône. ... Evening Update Thursday 17th July 2025 Read More

17/07/2025

French and Riviera News Thursday 17th July 2025

Tensions are running high in Antibes, where around thirty animal rights activists from the group One Voice have gathered outside the former Marineland... French and Riviera News Thursday 17th July 2025 Read More

17/07/2025