The topic of retirement age increase in France is currently being discussed. They have finally been published in the Official Gazette.
The implementation decree which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 was released just two days before the massive protests scheduled for June 6th as decided by the unions. The first decrees published in the Official Gazette regarding the law which is expected to be enforced in September involve the contentious provisions related to the gradual extension of the retirement age.
According to these provisions public sector workers such as firefighters police officers and air traffic controllers will still be able to retire before the age of 64 in certain cases.Those who start working at an early age and complete the required 43 years of service will also have the option to retire early.
Despite widespread protests and strong opposition a proposal calling for the withdrawal of the law which was passed without a vote in Parliament will be discussed on June 8th in the National Assembly.
Throughout this process more than a thousand people have been detained. Massive demonstrations began on March 16th when the government decided to pass the bill without a vote. Since then the police have taken harsh measures against protesters resulting in over a thousand arrests during the protests held nationwide.
The opposition and the government have also turned to the Constitutional Council to determine whether the reform complies with the constitution. The Council approved the provision that raises the retirement age to 64 but rejected six articles either entirely or partially.
These developments indicate that the journey of the regulations increasing the retirement age in France is far from over and we will continue to closely follow the upcoming events.