Pension protests hit France

Trade union leaders said they expected protest participant numbers to top the two to three million they claim took part in the last wave of strikes and marches.

Rail services, flights and ports are all running below capacity in France as a result of the strikes, staged in protest over President Sarkozy’s pension reforms.

Among other elements, the reforms would raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. The reforms are designed to reduce France’s pension deficit and steer the country through the age of austerity with its AAA credit rating intact. The angry response has been seen by some as a harbinger of what could happen across Europe as cuts take hold.

One student told Reuters: “It’s the young people who are going to get it worst because they will not get hired.”

Test for Sarkozy
Pension reform has become one of the biggest battles in Sarkozy’s presidency, and has damaged his popularity. He wants the legislation passed by the end of the month.

The senate has already approved the plans to edge up the retirement age to 62, and on Monday voted that workers should be allowed to retire on full pensions only from the age of 67, rather than the current 65.

Strikes spread
Protests over austerity measures are also expected to take place in Slovakia today, and French unions are threatening another day of strikes at the weekend.

Sarkozy has said he will not back down over the key reform points.

Channel 4 News International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, was in France when the crowds took to the streets for the last wave of strikes.

“The police say nearly a million turned out, but there was no question of violence or anger,” she wrote. “A French strike is a ritual event, and it’s fun…the Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was supremely unbothered by the idea of a million people on the streets of Paris, protesting her government’s policies.”

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