PARIS: The French government said it would see through planned pension reforms but said the new system that has sparked nationwide strikes would be introduced gradually and public concerns would be addressed.
Transport systems were paralyzed for a fourth day on Sunday as unions at state railway SNCF and Paris public transport system RATP extended their strike against the changes.
“I am determined to take this pension reform to its completion and ... I will address people’s concerns about it,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told Le Journal du Dimanche.
“If we do not implement a thorough, serious and progressive reform today, someone else will do one tomorrow, but really brutally,” he told the weekly publication.
Philippe has said he would present a detailed outline of the pension reform plan on Wednesday.
Deputy Environment Minister Emmanuel Wargon told radio France Info the government would be flexible about both the timeline and implementation of the reforms.
“Timelines may be relaxed if necessary and we may differentiate how each special pension system converges with the new system under different deadlines and terms,” she said.
She said a date would be set to implement the new system but people’s pension rights would be calculated proportionally based on how much time they had worked under the new and old systems.
“Some say that everybody will lose under the new system. Not everybody will lose. It will be rather positive for a significant part of French citizens,” she said.
Philippe Martinez, the leader of the CGT union, said the CGT would fight until the government dropped the plan.
“We will continue until the plan is withdrawn,” he told the JDD, saying the prime minister should “go back to square one.”
France has one of the most generous pension systems among countries in the OECD grouping of industrialized nations.
President Emmanuel Macron was elected in 2017 on a platform to liberalize the economy and reform the pension system.
Macron wants to introduce a pension system with equal rights for everyone and to do away with a set of sub-systems under which some workers at SNCF, RATP and other institutions can retire in their early fifties, a decade ahead of others.
Unions plan a second demonstration on Tuesday, after a Thursday’s first protest attracted 65,000 people in Paris and 806,000 nationwide, according to police figures.
French government determined on pension reform as strikes continue
French government determined on pension reform as strikes continue
- Transport systems were paralyzed for a fourth day on Sunday as unions at state railway SNCF and Paris public transport system RATP extended their strike
Indonesia becomes first Asian country to ban elephant rides
- Elephant-ride ban is nationwide, including in popular holiday destination of Bali
- Animal rights group urges officials in Thailand, Nepal, India to follow Indonesia
JAKARTA: Indonesia has banned elephant rides, becoming the first Asian nation to outlaw the popular tourist activity on animal welfare grounds.
Indonesia, home to the critically endangered Sumatran elephant and the endangered Bornean elephant, first announced the nationwide ban in December, with authorities gradually monitoring compliance since the start of this year.
The move followed widespread calls to ban elephant rides, with many Indonesians now using social media to alert authorities on sites still offering such activities especially in Bali, the country’s most popular holiday island.
All of Bali’s conservation sites, including Bali Zoo and Mason Elephant Park & Lodge, have officially banned elephant rides by the end of January, according to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
“Based on our most recent monitoring, all five of the conservation sites in Bali have complied and are no longer offering elephant rides for visitors,” Ratna Hendratmoko, who heads the agency, told Arab News on Tuesday.
Elephant rides were a popular tourist attraction in Bali, which last year welcomed nearly 7 million foreign visitors.
“There was demand from visitors, tourists, who are enthusiastic and attracted to elephant rides, even if it’s just for 10 to 15 minutes.
“But maybe for them, it’s an opportunity to show off on social media, showing that they’re doing something that they think it’s cool, something that not many others can do,” Hendratmoko said.
“I’m thankful to online friends who have been raising their concerns and reminding us to continue our monitoring. We are giving our best to do our job.”
Indonesian authorities are urging conservation sites to prioritize animal welfare, offer educational activities for visitors and shift to “innovative and non-exploitative” attractions, such as wildlife observation without direct physical contact.
In November, an investigation by the rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, showed that elephants in Bali are routinely chained and beaten with sharp bullhooks to force them to obey for tourist rides.
The action that followed “puts Indonesia at the forefront of elephant welfare,” and makes it “the first country in Asia to ban elephant rides nationwide,” said Jason Baker, president of PETA in Asia.
The ban is “a huge step toward improving the treatment of elephants,” PETA Asia said in a statement to Arab News.
“We are optimistic that the new guidelines will provide a framework for phasing out all harmful practices in the future.”
Elephant camps are also major tourist attractions in other parts of Asia, with Thailand being their largest promoter.
“We urge the Thai government and other countries, including Nepal, Laos and India to follow Indonesia’s lead,” PETA said.
