French parliament to debate Macron’s pension reform bill

By SYLVIE CORBET
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular planned pension changes start being debated at parliament, after they prompted massive strikes and street demonstrations in recent weeks. The contested bill would notably raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. A third round of protests has been called on Tuesday by eight main workers’ unions and another one is scheduled on Saturday. Macron vowed to go ahead with the changes, which he described last week as “indispensable when you compare to (other countries) in Europe.” His centrist alliance seeks to ally with right-wing Republicans, since the conservatives in recent years have pushed for raising the retirement age and appear inclined to vote in favor of the bill.