People take metro line 1 in Paris, France, Dec. 20, 2019. The driverless metro line 1 maintains its usual frequencies. France has seen 16 consecutive days of strike against the government's pension reform plan, with public transport crippled, schools closed, power cut in certain regions and several days of massive demonstrations in major cities. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
PARIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The French government and labor unions ended talks on pension reform on Thursday afternoon without reaching a deal to break the deadlock.
Philippe Martinez, leader of the hardline CGT union, told the press after the talks that "the prime minister hasn't heard what the street is saying." Five out of the eight unions called for further actions and a cross-sector demonstrations on Jan. 9, he added.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said new roundtable discussions will be held on the first days of January. "There are still disagreements. We want to overcome them in talks in January," he said.
He reiterated that the financial balance of pension system remains top priority and the government is fully committed to ending the current special pension regimes.
However, over the new "pivot age" of 64 for workers to earn a full pension -- two years beyond the official retirement age, which is the most controversial element in the government's reform plan, the prime minister said, "there are margins of manoeuvre. They are not huge, we all know that. But they exist."
Philippe once again called on unions to obverse a "Christmas truce" so as not to jeopardise people's holiday travel plans.
The CGT-led union coalition reaffirmed that there would be no truce for strikes over the Christmas period.
France has seen 15 consecutive days of strikes against the government's pension reform plan, with public transport crippled, schools closed, power cut in certain regions and several days of massive demonstrations in major cities.
The government wants to end all special schemes in current system that allow workers in certain public sectors to retire earlier than average and with more benefits.
Under the new system, all pension will be calculated in a point-based way, with same rules applying to all, regardless of profession or sector. The legal retirement age remains 62 but people must work till 64 to qualify for a full pension. Critics fear that citizens will have to work longer while ultimately earning lower pensions.
