Nationwide pension reform protests are expected in France today after the legislation was pushed through parliament without a vote. Photo: wikimedia

Protests against the highly controversial pension reform bill are expected across France today.

The French government passed the bill —which would increase the retirement age by 2 years—without the requirement of National Assembly votes. This drew an immediate reaction from French labor unions and several activist groups, who have staged numerous demonstrations to express their displeasure with the legislation. Nationwide protests will continue today, especially in Paris, as demonstrators are planning on congregating in Palace de la Bastille this afternoon.

Expect the disruptions to block roads and highways throughout the day, impacting transportation networks connecting major cities. This will have a short-to medium-term economic implication as well, as logistics within the country will come to a halt. The protestors will likely continue to engage in clashes with law enforcement. The bill became official after the Assembly recently adopted a motion of confidence towards the Macron government by a slight margin. This indicates that while Macron’s popularity is somewhat impacted, it is highly unlikely that this will serve as a serious challenge to his presidency. As the government will allocate more money towards other social programs, expect France’s economy to benefit from this new bill.