France's moderate CFDT union calls for action on Dec 17 against pensions reform

France's moderate CFDT union called for action on Dec 17 to protest against the government's pensions reform plan on Wednesday, saying French President Emmanuel Macron had broken his promise not to change the age you can retire. Other moderate unions have also encouraged their members to join the movement next Tuesday.

France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday its people should work two years longer to get a full pension, a sensitive part of an overhaul of France's byzantine pension system that he said would be fairer and plug a gaping deficit in the pension budget. Shortly after Philippe's presentation, CFDT's leader Laurent Berger had said a "red line" has been crossed with a proposal to incentivize people to delay their retirement.

"Despite CFDT's warnings, the prime minister has imposed unnecessary and unfair age measures (...)", the union said in a statement.