French President Macron insists on the need for raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 in order to make the French pension system financially sustainable despite widespread protests
It is expected that the government's decision to push the bill through the senate will deepen anger among French workers.
According to the letter provided by the president's office on Friday, Macron said he made the choice to "make the French work a little longer" because other options, which he rejected, would have involved "decreasing pensions, raising taxes or letting our children and grandchildren carry the financial burden."
Macron also recalled the measure was a key promise from his presidential campaign last year, adding that he made a concession by agreeing to put the age limit at 64, down from 65 as initially planned.
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