Pensions deal in doubt

Some of France’s unions look set to reach a limited agreement with employers on pension arrangements following five months of meetings which began on 17 January.

The proposed deal would not remove the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64, the main concern of the unions, but would make it easier for some workers, whose jobs are particularly arduous, to retire earlier.

It would also improve the pension arrangements for women to take more account of the impact of childcare on their working history.

However, not all France’s big five union confederations are still talking. The largest, the CFDT, may back the deal, along with two smaller confederations. But the second and third largest, the CGT and FO, remain opposed.