Sawt Falasteen - Unions defiant as French court approves Macron pension reform

The ruling paves the way for Macron to sign into law, potentially this weekend, the unpopular changes that have sparked months of protests and strikes

But unions warned they were calling for new mass protests on the May 1 labour day and sometimes violent actions erupted in several cities after the verdict was announced.

The nine-member Constitutional Council ruled in favour of key provisions, including raising the retirement age to 64 from 62, judging the legislation to be in accordance with the law.

Six minor proposals were rejected, including forcing large companies to publish how many over-55s they employ, and the creation of a special contract for older workers.

The decision represents a victory for Macron but analysts say it has come at major personal cost for the 45-year-old while causing months of disruption.

Sometimes violent protests have left hundreds injured.

Macron's personal ratings are near to their lowest level and many voters have been outraged by his decision to ram the pensions law through parliament without a vote.

"Stay the course. That's my motto," Macron said on Friday as he inspected Notre Dame Cathedral, four years after a devastating fire there.

Thousands of protesters gathered outside Paris city hall and booed the court decision. Some then marched through the city centre.

Bikes, e-scooters and garbage were set on fire as police in body armour brandishing truncheons stopped protesters advancing further, AFP correspondents said.

Protests rallying hundreds erupted in other cities, including Marseille and Toulouse.

- Tidal wave -

In Lyon, small groups marching through the city centre were dispersed with tear gas, an AFP reporter said.

The offices of the Constitutional Council, near the Louvre museum, have been protected with barriers and riot police are on guard nearby.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the court had "judged the reform, on the substance as well as procedure, to conform with the constitution".

"This evening, there are no winners or losers," she tweeted.

It remains to be seen if the months-long effort by trade unions to block the changes will continue.

"The fight continues and must gather force," tweeted the leader of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Unions issued a joint statement urging Macron not to sign the legislation into law, saying the issue was "not finished".

The general secretary of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, called for a "popular and historic tidal wave" of people on the streets to oppose the reforms on May 1.

Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said signing the law "would not be pouring oil on the fire but a jerrycan full of petrol".

"I fear an outpouring of anger," he told BFM media.

Last month, a strike by Paris garbage workers left the capital strewn with 10,000 tonnes of uncollected rubbish.

Train services, oil refineries and schools have seen stoppages since January.

- 'Necessary' change? -

Some 380,000 people took to the streets nationwide on Thursday in the latest day of union-led action, according to the interior ministry.

That was a fraction of the nearly 1.3 million who demonstrated at the height of the protests in March.

In a second decision on Friday, the court rejected a bid from opposition lawmakers to force a referendum on an alternative pension law that would have kept the retirement age at 62.

France lags behind most of its European neighbours, many of which have hiked the retirement age to 65 or above.

Opponents of the reform say it penalises women and unskilled workers who started their careers early, and undercuts the right to a long retirement.

Average life expectancy in France is 82.

Senior ruling party MP Eric Woerth said on Friday he hoped the country would end up acknowledging the need for the change.

But he admitted: "We have not convinced people."

Polls consistently show that two out of three French people are against working a further two years.

Macron has called the change "necessary" to avoid annual pension deficits forecast to hit 13.5 billion euros ($14.8 billion) by 2030, according to government figures.

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H.Darwish--SF-PST