French pension reform strikers cause delays at Orly airport in Paris

A surprise strike at Orly airport in Paris against proposed pension reforms resulted in flight delays and airlines cancelling up to half their departures, the French civil aviation authority said on Saturday.

Normally French unions announce their strike plans ahead of time. Saturday's strikes, which brought tens of thousands to the streets of France, were previously revealed. But the Orly action had not initially been a part of the plan.

This is the fourth time protestors have taken action against President Emmanuel Macron's reform plans, which include changing the retirement age from 62 to 64.

More than a million people took to the streets in the nationwide strikes during two previous demonstrations. Last Tuesday, 750,000 took part in protests. The controversial reform has been the subject of a turbulent debate in parliament for a week.

Many people in France who have not paid long enough into the retirement system for a full pension are already working past 62.

In many strenuous, manual-labour professions, people can physically rarely work longer, opponents of the reform say. Moreover, workers want to be able to enjoy their well-earned pensions and not wear out their health completely on the job, they add.

Macron justifies the reform with a looming deficit in the pension fund. Since the population is getting older, employees would have to pay for an increasing number of pensioners with their contributions. In order to keep the pension level stable, the population would have to work a little more, he argues.

Critics have cast doubt the government's calculations and demand that the state find other funds to keep the pension system in balance.

But it is not only the retirement age that the government wants to tighten. The increase in the period needed to pay in for a full pension, which was decided years ago, is to be accelerated.

In addition, the government wants to abolish individual pension systems with privileges for certain occupational groups. The minimum pension is to increase to about €1,200 ($1,284).

The pension reform is considered one of Macron's most important projects. During the coronavirus pandemic, a first attempt to implement the reform was aborted. Despite restrictions due to the virus, there were massive protests and strikes even then.

Several presidents before Macron have tried to reform the French pension system with varying degrees of success - widespread protests and strikes were a certainty for all of them.

Since Macron's camp no longer has an absolute majority in parliament, it hopes to push through the reform with the help of the conservative Républicains, who have announced their support.

But some members of parliament - even from Macron's faction - still have reservations. There is at the moment more fear about crippling strikes than there is about a close vote.