French pension reform to fully impact new workers from 2022-PM

The French government's pension reform will apply in full to new entrants to the labor force from 2022, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Wednesday as he unveiled the details of a draft reform to overhaul the country's byzantine pension system.

The new system will keep the legal retirement age at 62 but the government will encourage people to work longer using a system of discounts and bonuses system, Philippe said in a speech.

Public sector workers have been on strike for seven days against the reforms, championed by President Emmanuel Macron, and unions have called for more protests on Dec. 12 and Dec. 17 following two mass demonstrations on Tuesday and last Thursday.