the changes will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. president manuel mac holland says it's essential to cover pension deficits as been widespread opposition to the plan. millions of people have taken part in protest, marches, and strikes across france. let's bring in our correspondent natasha butler. she's joining us live from paris. i mean, forcing through this bill without a void. it's not going to be popular as it natasha. no, not at all. and it's certainly not the outcome that the french government would have hoped for. they were planning to put their a proposed pension reform bill to vote in the parliament this afternoon. but it seems that they simply couldn't guarantee that they had the numbers that they needed enough lawmakers on side in order to win that vote. so that is why they have decided to force a 3 by decree. look, it's constitutionally legal. they have every right to do so, but it's really forcing through bill by degree is something that's done rarely it's seen as really a bit of a failure whole it takes in many respects us anyhow. many of the people behind me assume