Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris and other cities across France to denounce the government’s pension plan as unfair to female workers, in demonstrations coinciding with International Women’s Day, reports Guernsey Press.
The show of anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is set to continue in coming days, as train and metro drivers, refinery workers, rubbish collectors and others have said they will continue strikes.
Unions are aiming to maintain pressure on the government as senators debate the changes.
Activists say the pension reform would further deepen gender inequalities at work, where women’s wages are on average 15.8% below men’s.
The reform would raise the minimum pension age and require 43 years of work to earn a full pension. The government argues that the current system is expected to dive into deficit within a decade as France’s population ages and life expectancy lengthens.