Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday (February 7) to call for the withdrawal of the government’s contested pension reform that would higher the retirement age for France’s workers, Reuters reports.
Tuesday's multi-sector walkouts come a day after pension reform legislation began its bumpy passage through parliament, and are a test of Macron's ability to enact change without a working majority in the National Assembly.
In Paris, tens of thousands of unionists and other supporters gathered in front of the capital’s renowned opera house, then marched and chanted their way around the city centre.
The government says people must work two years longer - meaning for most until the age of 64 - in order to keep the budget of one of the industrial world's most generous pension systems in the black.
The French spend the largest number of years in retirement among OECD countries - a deeply cherished benefit that a substantial majority are reluctant to give up, polls show.
Strike participation on Tuesday appeared lower than a week earlier, data showed, but the government will be watching street protests to gauge how strong public opposition remains.
Police fired tear gas in minor scuffles between demonstrators and officers at a Paris pension reform protest on Tuesday (February 7).
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday to call for the withdrawal of the government’s contested pension reform that would higher the retirement age for France’s workers.
Tuesday's multi-sector walkouts come a day after pension reform legislation began its bumpy passage through parliament, and are a test of Macron's ability to enact change without a working majority in the National Assembly.
The government says people must work two years longer - meaning for most until the age of 64 - in order to keep the budget of one of the industrial world's most generous pension systems in the black.
Strike participation on Tuesday appeared lower than a week earlier, data showed, but the government will be watching street protests to gauge how strong public opposition remains.
