Marches defend France's retirement at 60

Hundreds of thousands of men and women marched in the streets of 40 French towns and cities yesterday to defend their right to retire at the age of 60. Retirement at 60 was a Socialist reform passed in 1982.

The demonstrations were provoked by the employers' federation, MEDEF, following the breakdown of negotiations with trade unions on December 22nd.

MEDEF wants private sector employees to work for 45 years before obtaining full retirement benefits. At present, workers are allowed to retire after 40 years.

The high turnout - 80,000 in Paris, an aggregate of 200,000 in other French cities - was a victory for France's five main trade unions, who set aside their differences to co-ordinate the marches. Based on these numbers, the unions demanded that MEDEF resume negotiations. MEDEF had threatened to cease paying its share of pensions for 60-year-olds retiring after March 31st.

Public transport in the capital was not affected, but suburban and provincial bus and train traffic was paralysed by the strike. Air France cancelled its morning flights from Orly airport.

As the post-second World War "baby-boomers" reach retirement age, the French system, which is jointly financed by trade unions and employers, is expected to go into deficit for the public sector in 2005 and for the private sector by 2010.

Mr Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, the aristocratic president of MEDEF, said that "demographic reality is implacable" and France must act quickly. Posters showing Mr Seilliere with the word "Wanted" were prominent in the festive marches.

The only violence took place yesterday morning when firemen in Lille, demonstrating for government aid, clashed with riot police. The demonstration turned violent when a meeting with the local governor was cancelled, and the protesters sprayed police with foam from their fire-engines. The police retaliated with tear gas and stun grenades.

One of the demonstrators, Mr Edouard Walzak (58), picked up a grenade which exploded, tearing his hand off. His colleagues later joined other workers in that city's retirement march in the afternoon.

French business management does not practise what it preaches. In the automobile sector, for example, Renault and Peugeot have both encouraged more than 10,000 workers to accept early retirement so they could hire young people before the labour market dries up.

The French right is splintered and has taken no stand on the retirement issue. MEDEF has increasingly come to play the role of a political opposition to the left-wing government.

The Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, strongly criticised the tough tactics adopted by MEDEF and promised that "social reform will not mean social regression". Mr Jospin last year rejected proposals for US-style pension funds, but said he would overhaul the present system.

OECD statistics show the average Frenchman stops working at 59.2 years of age; the average French woman at 55.3. In the US, men work until an average of 63.6; women until 61.6.