![\"tagreuters.com2023binary_LYNXMPEJ410FL-VIEWIMAGE\"](\"http:\/\/lynettelockhart.com\/client\/wp-content\/uploads\/Reuters_Direct_Media\/USOnlineReportWorldNews\/tagreuters.com2023binary_LYNXMPEJ410FL-VIEWIMAGE.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBy Elizabeth Pineau<\/p>\n
PARIS (Reuters) -French trade unions announced on Tuesday 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.<\/p>\n
The reform, which Macron signed into law last month despite weeks of protests and strikes, has crystallised discontent against a president perceived by many in France as being aloof and indifferent to their daily hardships.<\/p>\n
With lawmakers poised to discuss on June 8 a draft bill proposed by the opposition Liot party to cancel the retirement age reform, 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.”<\/p>\n
Aware that the government is closely monitoring whether they can maintain a rare unified stance, the unions headlined their statement: “Still united, numerous and determined to get the (pension law’s) withdrawal and social progress.”<\/p>\n
The government wants to move on to other issues and has said it will send invitations to the unions for talks by the end of the week. <\/p>\n
The unions said they would use the upcoming talks to reaffirm their opposition to the pension reform and would work on joint proposals to improve workers’ conditions.<\/p>\n
But some could possibly still decide not to go to the meetings with Borne, a source who took part in the morning’s union discussions said, adding that the phrasing of the lines referring to these meetings was bitterly discussed.<\/p>\n
“There is a deep distrust, and dialogue can only be reestablished if the government proves its willingness to finally take into account the proposals of the trade unions”, the joint union statement said. <\/p>\n
Opinion polls show a substantial majority of French people oppose the higher retirement age. <\/p>\n
Police clashed on Monday with hundreds of black-clad anarchists in Paris and other cities during May Day union-led protests against the pension reform.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday France’s Constitutional Council will review a new bid by the opposition to organise a citizens’ referendum on the pension reform.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It rejected a previous request last month, clearing the way for approval of the bill.<\/p>\n
Bertrand Pancher, an MP who leads the Liot group, welcomed the unions’ decision to call for a day of strikes and protests ahead of the vote on their legislative proposal to scrap the retirement age increase.<\/p>\n
“It’s only by joining forces that we can convince the lawmakers we need to vote the text and the government to back-track,” he told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Macron’s centrist Renaissance group and their allies don’t have an absolute majority in parliament, but are still the biggest force. Pancher said he hoped to convince a number of conservative Les Republicains to back his bid and give it a chance to succeed. <\/p>\n
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Jean-Stephane Brosse, Ingrid Melander and Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by Ingrid Melander;\u00a0Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Bernadette Baum and Gareth Jones)<\/p>\n
![\"tagreuters.com2023binary_LYNXMPEJ410FM-VIEWIMAGE\"](\"http:\/\/lynettelockhart.com\/client\/wp-content\/uploads\/Reuters_Direct_Media\/USOnlineReportWorldNews\/tagreuters.com2023binary_LYNXMPEJ410FM-VIEWIMAGE.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"