(glass breaking) (muffled chattering)

- [Noemie] French President Emmanuel Macron's government

invoked a special provision of France's Constitution

on Thursday to bypass Parliament

in a bid to push through its controversial pension reform.

(Elisabeth speaking foreign language)

(angry shouting)

- The move received a frosty reception in Parliament,

with lawmakers singing the national anthem.

(group singing)

The use of Article 49 of the French Constitution

allows the Macron government to avoid a parliamentary vote

on the bill, which proposes raising the retirement age.

(muffled shouting)

It comes after public sector workers

have walked off the job in droves,

culminating in piles of trash building up

around the French capital.

I'm in Paris with a view of the iconic Eiffel Tower,

but here's a scene that offers

a less romantic vision of the city.

(muffled traffic humming)

Heaps of trash piled on the city streets.

The garbage has not been picked up in Paris for over a week.

This is in response to the unpopular government

pension overhaul that has been proposed

by French President Emmanuel Macron.

(group chanting)

Macron has proposed overhauling the pension system.

He wants to raise the legal retirement age by two years

to 64 and make people work longer

before they can touch their pensions.

(man shouting in foreign language)

Unions are unhappy with the legislation.

- [Noemie] Millions of workers

have gone on strike since January

when the current bill was first presented to Parliament.

(group shouting in foreign language)

- [Noemie] Teachers, train drivers, and oil refinery staff

from across the country are among those

who have joined the strikes.

Recent polls showed nearly 70% of people oppose the reforms,

but Macron says the changes are needed

to protect France's pension system from collapse

and to maintain control of government expenditure.

He has pledged to boost military spending

and wants to bring the national deficits

back in line with the European Union's targets.

France has one of the lowest rates of retirees

at risk of poverty in Europe, but this comes at a cost.

France spends close to 15%

of its economic output on pensions.

That's almost double what the U.S. spends.

The country's pension system is expected

to run a deficit of 1.8 billion Euros in 2023.

That's set to keep increasing to 21.2 billion Euros in 2035.

As the population ages, the number of workers

who fund each pension check is shrinking.

The government has ruled out raising taxes

to sure up deficit,

saying that taxes in France are already high.

(Olivier speaking foreign language)

(muffled shouting)

- [Noemie] This isn't the first time Macron

tried to overhaul France's pension system.

In 2019, he proposed to streamline France's

42 different state pension plans,

which vary in retirement age and income,

into one universal system.

He also wanted to introduce bonuses and penalties

to encourage people to work until the age of 64.

This led to strikes across the transportation system,

which paralyzed the country for weeks

before the government shelved its plans

as the COVID-19 pandemic struck,

but some economists say the proposed changes

won't keep the system afloat for long.

Many see the fights over pension

as the last stand defense of France's social welfare model.

(Frederic speaking foreign language)

- [Noemie] France's Senate approved

the controversial reforms on March 11-

(official speaking foreign language)

- [Noemie] But the government struggled to cobble together

enough votes for it to pass through

the Low House of Parliament, The National Assembly.

Macron's move comes at a high political cost.

Protesters in opposition parties that have painted Macron

as an authoritarian now have more ammunition

to mobilize the masses.

Demonstrators took to the streets

after Article 49 was invoked.

A number of parties have said they will retaliate

by putting forward a no confidence motion.

If successful, that would force the government to resign.

(dramatic tonal music) (metal clanging)