French President Nicolas Sarkozy said today that he would inject €3.4 billion into his retirement reform bill so some parents can retire earlier, as he faces open-ended strike action against the plan.
Labour Minister Eric Woerth confirmed the changes asked for by Sarkozy by presenting the amendments, which will benefit mothers of three or more children and parents of handicapped children, to the senate.
Sarkozy's Elysee Palace said that the changes would be partly financed by new taxes that would bring in €3.4 billion, the cost of the measure until 2022.
The amendments were announced the day after French unions called for open-ended strikes to be staged from Tuesday to protest at the overall pension reform which will raise the standard retirement age from 60 to 62.
Workers at state rail company SNCF, the Paris public transport system as well as the gas and electricity sectors are all to go on strike, the fourth day of action in just over a month. Demonstrators took to the streets during two days of protest in September and a third on October 2.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon has repeatedly vowed his government will push on with the reform despite the protests, a key plank of Sarkozy's reform agenda as he eyes re-election in 2012.
Two French Mediterranean oil terminals are currently blocked by strikes, with more workers joining the 10-day stoppage yesterday. The movement has caused fuel shortages on Corsica. That action is mainly in protest at port privatisation plans but dockers' unions are also criticising the pensions reform.
Critics say the plan to raise the standard retirement age to help rein in France's public deficit places an unfair burden on workers.
