But: ‘Nobody should retire with less than €1000 a month.’

The French President announced at a press conference on 25 April that the French should work more. This is directly related to Macron’s intention to significantly reduce income taxes for lower incomes, which is likely to cost about €5 billion.

This cannot be done without reducing public spending and increasing working hours. A first strike was the weakening of the 35-hour week, which is no longer required by law but at the discretion of the social partners.

This also raises the legitimate issue, from the President’s point of view, of extending working life as life expectancy continues to rise. Macron does not want to address the legal retirement age of 62 for the time being. However, the introduction of a points system could certainly provide more equality. In other words, anyone who retires with 62 must expect a lower pension than today.

At the same time, the head of state wants to increase the value of the minimum pension. Nobody should retire with less than €1000 a month.