French celebrities slam 'archaic' pensions reform ahead of strike, protests

More than a hundred French personalities – including 2022 Nobel literature laureate Annie Ernaux – have denounced President Emmanuel Macron’s "terribly unequal" pensions reform. Their petition comes as unions combine forces for nationwide protests and strikes against the plan on Thursday.

Nobel Prize in Literature 2022 laureate French writer Annie Ernaux attends a debate at Sweden's Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm on December 12, 2022. AFP - HENRIK MONTGOMERY

Signatories to an opinion piece published Wednesday in the leftwing weekly Politis say they are determined to fight what they call an "archaic" project to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 and increase the level of pension contributions.

"The reform will hurt most those who work in the most difficult and tiring jobs – both physically and psychologically – and who have less chance of enjoying a peaceful retirement and imagining a future after the age of 64," the signatories argue.

"The project is at odds with France’s social history and seeks to make women and men work longer instead of resting and embarking on other ventures during the most privileged moment of their lives."

Celebrities putting their names to the article include actors Adèle Haenel, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Ariane Ascaride and Corinne Masiero, writer Nicolas Mathieu, economists Julia Cagé and Thomas Piketty, musician Dominique A, comedian Guillaume Meurice and television host Valerie Damidot.

French actress Adèle Haenel (photo taken in 2017) © Laurent Emmanuel / AFP

Unions united

French unions have united for the first time in 12 years in their opposition to the pensions reform, while France’s entire political left has thrown its support behind the “black Thursday” strike.

• Striking Paris transport workers to lead charge against French pension reform

Some 10,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilised for the demonstrations across the country, with unions hoping anger over the reform will bring a million people onto the street.

Schools and public transport will be hit hardest, with strike notices also filed in the oil, energy, banking and health sectors.

Government 'calm'

Macron insists he has a mandate to overhaul retirement rules, a key campaign promise, seven months after being re-elected for a second term as president.

Opinion polls show a vast majority of French oppose the planned reform, and Thursday will be a test of whether this can transform into a major headache for the government.

Spokesperson Olivier Véran on Wednesday said the government remained "calm, determined and committed" ahead of the strike and called on workers not to paralyse the country.

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