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TarCalion313 t1_je0a0ty wrote

And remember that's "just" for increasing the pension age from 62 to 64. No I ask myself what such a society would do then facing the dire situation of workers rights in the US.

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Lance-Harper t1_je1fgu0 wrote

It’s not just that.

  • heavy duty work do not qualify anymore for compensation which is why bin men are striking
  • to get your full pension, you must work without any stop from your 20s to your 60s. No illness, break, year off whatsoever
  • point 2 implies you must make a choice very early in life wether you want an under educated job or a masters degree and so forth.
  • all of the above with no guarantee that it all won’t happen again while you’re not even yet 64. Since the reason that cause it haven’t been adress.
  • edit: and AI is brining a lot of uncertainty into the job market. If you are about or graduate, I’d be worried to death about my future
  • all whilst the rich got richer, threaten to take their wealth away, if you wish to tax them and the larger companies get record profit even as the economy slows down.

For sure most people are in the streets for the extra 2 years but there’s a lot more going on.

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MrSquishypoo t1_je2458w wrote

Jesus. Heist that second point scares the shit out of me

I’m late 20s, working full time but struggling a lot due to mental health issues The thought of 40 years of feeling this stressed to access the full pension in retirement is terrifying

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SleepyDude_ t1_je2bmvm wrote

Full pension by 64. Otherwise you get it at 67 like in the US

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savvy-misanthrope t1_je8ofp8 wrote

Their pensions are guaranteed by the government, and they have a steady increasing rate, not like in the US where you can work a lifetime and lose your savings to bankrupt companies.

Besides, in France there are many social programs fpr seniors, such as paying a fraction of property tax after a certain age, and paying little to nothing on public transportation.

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[deleted] t1_je2w4vr wrote

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DantesDivineConnerdy t1_je34rfh wrote

France doesn't have the lowest retirement age-- countries like Nepal, India, and Indonesia have pension retirements in the 50s. The absolute highest that French pensions go is 900 euros a month. And I've often found that when people complain about lazy workers, it's usually just that a worker isn't acting like a desperate servant stressing over their next meal.

The problem is you're comparing French benefits to other nations (without even understanding the numbers), rather than comparing benefits to the actual need. French workers had these benefits because they fought and literally paid for them. American workers don't because too many of them take the side of corporate ownership and argue that it should be easier to fire people, workers shouldn't organize, benefits can always get worse etc.

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WillTheThrill86 t1_je3mhhu wrote

Is that true? The highest French pensions pay out is like 900 euro a month?

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zoetrope_ t1_je35u0t wrote

All the more reason for people to protest. If you've got a good a good system then you need to prevent it from slipping backwards.

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Muninnless t1_je33tlc wrote

Says the guy pushing homophobic, racist shit, and backing Trump. Yeah, I think you are the one that should be taken with a grain of salt, bud.

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calm_chowder t1_je2tcti wrote

Those policies are already in place or they're part of the new retirement Reform? Because those laws are fucking insane, even worse than in the US. Which is hard to believe for a European country. There's so many reasons a person might not be able to work continuously with zero breaks for 40 years.

Can someone else confirm this is true? Do you have a source??

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Zagorim t1_je338w9 wrote

it's kind of true but if you take a break and don't work for a year you don't lose your whole pension. You will have to take your retirement one year later. Still a pretty shitty reform though.

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savvy-misanthrope t1_je8ot1a wrote

In France workers are entitled to far more vacation days than in the US (over one month each year), longer maternity/paternity leave, and they work 4 days a week. Also, their pensions are guaranteed by the government, at a generous annual increase rate.

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[deleted] t1_je0dyax wrote

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BeautifulType t1_je368gt wrote

The right to be a slave and being hooked to social media for entertainment.

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tristanjones t1_je1aog2 wrote

I mean it isn't Just the 2 years. It's that we are going in the WRONG direction. All this work. Over generations. And we are going backwards!?

We aren't working to invest in the progress of our people but the continue subjugation of ourselves and our children to be exploited by a minority Owner Class.

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TarCalion313 t1_je1bdao wrote

You're of course right. My comment was cutting pretty short for the sake of catchiness. And as it was mentioned as well coming on top of your points is the really undemocratic way this change was pushed through, bypassing the Parlament. This all makes for a very explosive mixture.

I'm sorry if it seamed that I do not take this seriously enough. This was not my intention.

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jbrune t1_jecc177 wrote

I don't understand. Things have changed. People live longer and there is a lower percentage of young people in society. What is the other plan to account for that?

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tristanjones t1_jedlygl wrote

And in that time productivity has more than doubled but more than half the wealth from that has gone to the top 1%.

Your math isn't wrong but it is only relevant because we haven't been allow to invest out gains back into our society

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alexefi t1_je195qh wrote

I see some people from.france say its more that he passed reform.without vote.

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Matttthhhhhhhhhhh t1_je1f7rg wrote

Yes it's an accumulation of reforms aimed at destroying worker's rights in France. Plus the destruction of public services, which were not working very well to start with. Many French people are fed up, but alas many still support Macron. He really has managed to convince these dumb fuckers that the only alternative is the Rassemblement National...

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calm_chowder t1_je2tsj7 wrote

Tbf if they weren't upset about the Reform itself that probably wouldn't bother them. If the Reform was to lower the retirement age to 60 and he passed it without a vote I don't they'd be protesting.

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TarCalion313 t1_je1bl9z wrote

This is of course a very big factor. My comment was cutting very short for the sake of catchiness. But pushing such a reform around the Parlament makes for a highly explosive mixture.

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Kahzootoh t1_je3uitf wrote

It’s more than that- raising the age of the pension (and the extraordinary measures taken to pass it) are just a symptom of a greater problem: the people in office at virtually all levels of French government take the state of the country and its people for granted.

The same things affecting most other developed countries are affecting France. It’s harder for young people to start a family, the quality of life for all people feels as if it is being eroded from all sides In piecemeal ways, and the political system is failing to address these fundamental difficulties- often preferring technical solutions that do nothing to address the long term issue- while politicians themselves increasingly become difficult to differentiate from the wealthy elite.

Most importantly, people are sick of the lack of accountability- you can be incompetent and destructive while in elected office and the worst thing that can befall you is that you will lose the election, no matter how many lives are ruined by your actions. Sound familiar?

Raising the age of the pension is emblematic of the sclerotic mindset of a political class that believes the nation can bear any amount of burdens and continue to exist and prosper. The vast majority of the political class takes the health of the country for granted, doing absolutely nothing to address the underlying demographic problems or to make necessary investments in the economy to remain relevant- especially if it would be inconvenient for the interests of the very wealthy by making them pay taxes.

France (and many other developed countries) need measures to simultaneously crack down on tax evasion in the short term, prioritize positive demographic stability of the country in the long term, and to dramatically increase economic productivity on an individual basis to bridge the gap between the two periods. If you talk to French politicians, they’re likely to be solely interested in making sure their government provided vehicles have a secured parking garage that is nearby their offices.

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Matttthhhhhhhhhhh t1_je1et99 wrote

Workers' rights are being destroyed in France too, don't worry. Macron will make sure of that.

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