France needs appeasement after Macron protests

Elizabeth Bourne said that «we have to be extremely careful not to rush things.» Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP

Elisabeth Born, French Prime Minister said the country needed «appeasement» after protesters took to the streets against Emmanuel Macron's pension reform.

«We must be extreme careful not to force things. We must leave things as they are… The country needs to be appeased,» she told Le Monde in an interview published on Friday.

The prime minister said France needed to «go through a period of healing» after weeks of sometimes violent street protests.

During his trip to China this week, Mr Macron infuriated union leaders by saying he fulfilled a campaign promise by raising the retirement age, and that they offered no compromises or alternatives to balance the state. pension books.

«If people wanted to retire at 60, they shouldn't have elected me president,» Le Monde quoted him as saying. lack of political ambition — has taken a much more conciliatory stance.

After Wednesday's meeting with trade union representatives ended without any progress, she added that «unions should not come out humiliated» from the pension standoff, which has been going on for three months and is ongoing despite the fact that the bill was passed without a parliamentary vote.

While the street protests seem to be fading, the reform remains wildly unpopular and highlights Mr Macron's precarious position due to his lack of a working-class majority in parliament.

Welcoming her appeal, Laurent Bergé, head of the centrist trade union CFDT, said he agreed with the need for a reflection period.

«It's better to have soothing words than stigmatizing words,» he told BFMTV, adding that, unlike Mr Macron, Ms Born managed «not to add fuel to the fire.» He said there was «never a respect problem» between him and the prime minister.

Mr Macron wants to raise the legal retirement age by two years to 64 to avoid a deficit in state pensions, but unions say the money can be found elsewhere. They insist that the only way out of the crisis is to repeal the bill, and the government has flatly rejected this option.

“If we want to completely calm down, this reform needs to be postponed,” Mr. Berger said.

Simon Duteil of the Solidaires union said: “We see that there is tension within the government.

However, speaking during a visit to the south of France on Friday, Ms Born said she had «the same goals» as Mr Macron, adding: «I think we share the same analysis: the country needs to cool down.” . We fully agree on this point.”

In a rare comment on domestic politics during a trip abroad, a presidential aide said Mr Macron “set the direction in his TV interview” two weeks ago. Thus, he tried to shift the debate to new priorities, such as reducing unemployment, health, education and the environment, but to no avail.

Pension reform is currently being considered by the French Constitutional Council, which decides whether law April 14th. It has the power to reject a bill, or parts of it, if they are deemed unconstitutional, but rarely rejects a piece of legislation.