Macron's plans face more hurdles

The obstacles to French President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform are mounting, as his pensions minister has resigned, and public-sector workers continue their strike and street protests.

French public-sector workers, from the railways and hospitals to schools and airports, started the 13th day of a nationwide transport strike and street protests on Tuesday, with a bigger protests expected.

The protests, which aim to make Macron drop his pension proposal, could affect thousands of people's holiday plans just a week before the Christmas holiday.

The French government plans to merge 42 existing pension systems into one, and would raise to 64 the retirement age at which people could be qualified to get a full pension. Currently, its retirement age is 62.

On Monday, the French minister for pensions Jean-Paul Delevoye, also Macron's key architect for reforms, resigned due to a scandal. He made undeclared private sector income while earning a government salary. His resignation puts more pressure on Macron.

Macron's government has opened the door for negotiations, though it still is sticking to the plan of raising the retirement age. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday asked workers' unions and employers' organizations to attend meetings on Wednesday.

He Yun, an assistant professor at Hunan University's School of Public Management, said that France values its pension system and welfare society, but it is also facing pressure from an aging population and growing public debt. In this sense, Macron's reform is both necessary while bound to cause a lot of social discontent.

"Remember, the French government was once brought down because of the pension reform issue in 1995. I think Macron knows it and is prepared for it," she said.

Cui Hongjian, the director of the department for European studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the French public has a contradictory expectation of the government. On the one hand, they wish for reforms that will boost the French economy, on the other, they want to protect their vested interests.

"Reform is always achieved by adjusting interest distribution, so their contradictory expectation is unlikely to be realized, " he said, adding that Macron should not easily make comprises when faced with protests.

Reuters contributed to this story.