The bill on French pension reforms, including the raising of the retirement age, has moved on to the Senate following the final day of debate in the National Assembly on Saturday (18 January).

French President, Emmanuel Macron, and his government are seeking to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, alongside several other reforms to the pension system.

The proposals have been met with anger and disagreement from unions and several opposition parties, with the final debate in the National Assembly marked by disruption from opposing politicians.

French unions held a fifth day of nationwide strike action last week (16 February), although the turnout was lower than at previous marches.

However, the unions are not backing down and have announced plans for further strike action on 7 March, a day on which they said the nation would be brought to a standstill in protest against the planned reforms.

French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, has previously offered concessions on the original proposals in an effort to garner support, which would allow people who entered work before the age of 21 to retire at 63 rather than 64.

The proposed pension age reform process is scheduled to start in September, reaching 63 years and three months by 2027 and hitting the target age of 64 in 2030.

Alongside the raising of the retirement age, several other proposals were presented as part of the reforms.

The amount of time working needed to receive a full pension will rise from 42 years to 43 and a guaranteed minimum pension income will be introduced.

This income level will be set at no less than 85 per cent of minimum wage for new retirees.

Public sector workers in mentally or physically demanding jobs will keep the right to retire earlier than the wider workforce, but their retirement age will rise at the same rate.

The government also announced that differing retirement ages and pension benefits for certain workforces, such as rail workers, would end.

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