Rennes
\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signed into law his highly disfavored pension reforms, lifting the pension age from 62 to 64.
\nThe signing came hours after France\u2019s top constitutional body cleared the change.
\nThe Constitutional Council annulled the opposition\u2019s demand for a referendum – however, it also removed some aspects of the reforms, citing legal flaws.
\nProtesters set fires across Paris, and 112 people were arrested following the council\u2019s ruling.
\nSince the reforms in January, twelve days of demonstrations have been held.
\nLabour unions have professed to persist in fighting the reforms and called on workers across France to return to the streets on 1 May.
\nHowever, President Macron claims the reforms are vital to containing the pension system from crumpling. In March, the government used a special constitutional power to force through the changes without a vote.
\nLabour Minister Olivier Dussopt says he expects the reforms will be in effect by September.
\nAfter the Friday ruling of the Constitutional Court, trade unions made an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal to the president not to sign the pension-age increase into law.
\nThe unions pointed out that the court rejected the six concessions that had been added to the reforms, so what was already unjust was now \u201ceven more unbalanced\u201d.
\nAmong the reforms struck down by the nine members of the Constitutional Council was a so-called \u201csenior index\u201d aimed at urging companies with more than 1,000 workers to take on employees over 55.
\nMr Dussopt has vowed to enhance the employment rates of those aged over 50 to ease worries about the economic effects of the increased retirement age.
\nThe authorities had banned protests in front of the Constitutional Council establishment in Paris until Saturday morning, but protesters had gathered nearby on Friday, and the ruling was met with hoots.
\nSome demonstrators chanted they would persist in protesting until the changes were withdrawn.
\nLater, several fires were set across the city as riot police tried to control the crisis, periodically using tear gas. A Paris police official said 112 people have been arrested.
\nFires were also lit during demonstrations in Rennes and Nantes, while there were tense standoffs at times between protesters and police in Lyon.
\nLucy, 21, was among the protesters who gathered outside the City Hall and told that she was disappointed \u201cwe don\u2019t have the power any more\u201d.
\n\u201cNobody is listening to us no matter how hard we are shouting,\u201d she added, vowing to keep on speaking out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rennes French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signed into law his highly disfavored pension reforms, lifting the pension age from 62 to 64. The signing came hours after France\u2019s top constitutional body cleared the change. The Constitutional Council annulled the opposition\u2019s demand for a referendum – however, it also removed some aspects of the reforms, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-326287","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n