January 2020

09Jan

Nationwide protest in France over pensions as talks continue

Rail workers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and others joined a nationwide day of protests and strikes Thursday to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the pension system. As the government and unions pushed on with crucial negotiations about the changes, street protests were staged in Paris and other French cities, with railway strikes entering their sixth week. Read Also Critical week in frances pension reform protests The Eiffel Tower was shut as employees joined the protest movement. Paris metro traffic was...

January 9, 2020
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07Jan

French pension talks resume as govt seeks to end standoff

French officials prepared to restart talks with unions Tuesday over a pension overhaul that has sparked the country's longest transport strikes in decades, which labour leaders say could force millions of people to retire later than they thought. Public support appears to be shifting in the government's favour, with just 44 percent backing the strike in an Ifop poll released Sunday, down seven points from the previous survey on December 19-20. The reform would eliminate 42 separate pension schemes...

January 7, 2020
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06Jan

Critical week in France’s pension reform protests

The month-long stand-off between the government and France's striking transport workers has entered a critical week, with talks set to resume on Tuesday, and further national protests in store. The first Council of Ministers' meeting was taking place on Monday, as commuters braced for a difficult return to work after the Christmas break. The ongoing pension reform protests are certain to top the agenda, with strike calls launched on Monday by nurses and physiotherapists' unions. An Air France pilots...

January 6, 2020
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03Jan

Social Security and Pension Reform: International Perspectives

By Marek Szczepanski, John A. Turner Countries around the world are reforming their social security and pension systems. International studies often focus on social security reforms in Europe and North America, and may include Latin America. Reforms, however, are also occurring in Asia and Africa, and include reforms of voluntary and employer-provided pensions as well as social security programs. This book discusses both social security and employer-provided pension reforms, as well as reforms in most regions of the world....

January 3, 2020
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03Jan

On Day 29, French rail strike makes history

A labour walkout that has frustrated Paris commuters and marooned thousands of holiday travellers in France dragged into its 29th day on Thursday, becoming the country's longest continuous railway strike with no end in sight. The standoff over the government's plan to merge 42 pension schemes into a single, points-based system has seen workers at the state-owned SNCF railway company and Paris' RATP public transport operator down tools since December 5. Hundreds of thousands of strikers and their supporters...

January 3, 2020
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December 2019

31Dec

The Collapse of the Models. Re-shaping Social Protection in Europe and Latin America

The 2010-decade was a challenging period for the world. Latin America’s economy was doing relatively well at the beginning of the decade. However, the region’s economy is stagnated. Read also Colombia’s Pension Reform Hampered By Political Tension The European Union has been struggling too. Besides economic stagnation, right-wing populist candidates have been on the rise. The populists’ slogans on preserving national identity and tackling uncontrolled immigration have gained traction. Read also Greek government planning pension rises for 450,000 recipients Further, the...

December 31, 2019
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30Dec

France. Macron forced to step in to defuse crisis over pension changes

Emmanuel Macron will be forced to speak out on France’s ongoing pensions strike in his televised new year address on Tuesday as transport stoppages look likely to continue into a fifth week, causing major disruption over the holiday period and into January. Read also On Day 29, French rail strike makes history The centrist French president, who made overhauling the country’s pensions system a key election pledge, has until now refrained from intervening personally, leaving his prime minister, Edouard Philippe,...

December 30, 2019
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December 2019

26Dec

US. Why states must address pension reform now, before it’s too late

By Keith Greinet and Seth Grove  It’s been quite a while since the American economy has performed as well as it is now doing. Joblessness has sunk to record lows, causing some analysts to suggest we may be as close to full employment as we’re ever going to get. Core inflation remains under control, wages are rising and the U.S. Treasury just announced record total tax revenues of $470 billion for the first two months of the new...

December 26, 2019
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26Dec

Unmerry Christmas as French transport strike enters fourth week

Christmas Day brought no respite for travellers in France as a transport strike entered its fourth week, ruining the plans of thousands to share a traditional meal and quality time with loved ones. Many scrambled at the last minute to make alternative arrangements as the protest against pension reform saw thousands of trains cancelled or delayed -- and taxis, ride-sharing services and car rental agencies unable to make up the shortfall. Only a fraction of high-speed and inter-city trains ran...

December 26, 2019
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24Dec

Macron’s popularity slightly down as pension strikes gather pace

A poll released on Monday showed French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity suffered a slight slowdown in December when anti-pension reform protests and strikes were gathering pace. Figures from Odoxa pollster showed that Macron's dissatisfaction rating rose to 67 percent in December, from 65 percent a month earlier. "This ...is indeed small in view of the (social) anger and the support which the opponents of the pension reform still enjoy," said Gael Sliman, Odoxa's director. Macron proposes to replace the...

December 24, 2019
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