Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of France today for the third day of national demonstrations against the increase of the minimum retirement age by 2 years to 64 in the "pension system reform".

(Reuters)

[Instant News/Comprehensive Report] Tens of thousands of protesters in France took to the streets again today (7th), launching a series of national demonstrations for the third time, opposing the "annuity system reform" draft that raised the minimum retirement age to 2 years. The 64-year-old continues to exert pressure ahead of the National Assembly's deliberations.

According to comprehensive media reports, the French strike continues. The French National Railways (SNCF) expects that only half of the French high-speed trains (TGV) will be running today, and many subway lines will be suspended on a large scale.

Some workers at Électricité de France and oil company Total Energies are also planning to join the strike, and many schools will also be closed.

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After two previous rounds of strikes last month, French unions are reportedly planning to build on their efforts to try to get President Emmanuel Macron to abandon raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, according to reports.

French trade unions held their fourth strike protest on Saturday (11th).

In addition, at least 1.27 million people responded to the second demonstration on January 31, the largest scale so far.

On the other hand, the French legislator, the National Convention, started deliberations on the "annuity system reform" yesterday (6). French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne revealed that the government is also considering other plans so that more workers can work in the pension system. Retirement by age 64, though it remains to be seen whether the concession will help secure a majority.

The report pointed out that if Macron cannot get enough support in parliament, Macron can still use the constitutional "forced passage of bills" mechanism to allow the French Prime Minister to bypass the National Assembly's discussion and vote on the bill and directly pass the bill. Arousing the dissatisfaction of opponents may also allow opponents to try to counteract through a "vote of no confidence".

After the first two rounds of strikes last month, the French trade unions intend to make persistent efforts, and it is also estimated that a fourth strike protest will be held on Saturday (11th).

(Reuters)