French president Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise France’s retirement age from 62 to 64 was enacted into law on April 15 following the approval of the nine-member French constitutional council on the previous day. While some parts of the proposed legislation were rejected, the increase in retirement age, a focal point criticized by ongoing strikes and protests, was approved.

Previously, rather than putting his pension overhaul to a vote in the lower house of parliament, Macron had opted for the 49.3 measure, which allows certain bills to be passed without a vote. This marked the 11th time in less than a year in which the Macron administration had used the 49.3 measure to pass a bill. On March 20, Macron’s administration survived two no-confidence motions which had been filed over the controversial bill and the protests that had ensued.

According to opinion polls, Macron’s popularity has plunged to its lowest level in four years. French labor unions have vowed to continue striking and have called for another nationwide protest on May 1, which is International Workers’ Day.

Widespread protests and strikes against Macron’s pension reforms had continued to gain momentum since Jan. 19, when over a million people marched after major labor unions called for a day of protests against Macron’s proposed increase to the retirement age. Unions continued staging strike days throughout February and March, and protests have remained strong into the month of April, the latest of which being protestors’ clashes with police after the upholding of Macron’s pension reform on Friday.

In France, workers can go on strike with a union without holding membership. Therefore, despite a low union density of eight percent, unions manage to attract non-members leading to high levels of strike participation.

Rights groups have expressed concern over the use of excessive force by police in the protests. France's Human Rights League has condemned the use of public force to undermine citizen’s right to protest.

Macron has also previously attempted to enact major changes into the French pension system. In 2019, he proposed an overhaul that would merge 42 pension programs into what he described as a fairer, unified points-based system. The described changes would have led to pension cuts for many, especially teachers. However, the strikes that followed, which were the longest in France since 1968, and the ensuing 2020 Covid-19 pandemic halted Macron’s enactment of the proposals.