French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced that she will meet with opposition leaders early next month and is open to talks with unions, following weeks of protests against pension reforms.
Borne also stated that she will not use the controversial mechanism that allowed her to force through the unpopular reforms without a parliamentary vote, outside of budget matters.
Despite her openness to talks with social partners, Borne emphasized that the pensions reform would proceed, subject to approval by the Constitutional Council, which will rule on the constitutionality of the legislation. The reform includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, a move that has sparked widespread protests and strikes across the country.
Borne has used Article 49.3 of the French constitution, known as “the 49.3”, eleven times since becoming prime minister in May of last year. However, she told AFP on Sunday that she would not use it outside of financial matters from now on.
The use of the 49.3 mechanism triggered two votes of no-confidence, one of which the government survived by only nine votes, and sparked a furious reaction in the streets. The protest movement against the pension reform has turned into the biggest domestic crisis of French President Emmanuel Macron’s second mandate, with police and protesters clashing regularly in Paris and other cities since the reform was forced through.
Opposition parties are hoping the Constitutional Council will rule against the government over the reform because of the way it was forced through parliament without a vote. The government on Tuesday faces a fresh test as the unions have called for a new day of action against the pension reform.
Since January, hundreds of thousands of French people have peacefully marched against the reform. A wave of strikes, including one by Paris refuse collectors that has left the streets strewn with garbage, and sometimes violent protests against the government’s reform has attracted increasing attention in the international media.
The security forces have faced criticism for what critics say are their heavy-handed tactics in dealing with the protests. Meanwhile, a trip by Britain’s King Charles III that was due to begin Sunday has been postponed because of the current unrest.
