French workers extend walkouts, plan for new protests on Saturday against pension reform project

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) - France had a wriggly Tuesday with thousands of workers objecting to the government's pension reform plan.

Nationwide demonstrations were held in France's capital and other cities for the sixth time since January, after the plan triggered public outrage when it was announced last year.

The General Labor Confederation counted 3.5 million demonstrators in the streets across France, including 700,000 in Paris, while the Interior Ministry recorded 1.28 million people attending the protests, according to the daily Le Figaro.

The Senate is still debating the draft bill, and the deadline is March 12.

Trade unions have set new mobilization days on March 11 and 15, in a statement released on Twitter after the sixth round of protests.

They also called on mobilizing women on Wednesday and the youth on Thursday, and they asked to be "received urgently" by President Emmanuel Macron, local media said.

Workers are on strike in some sectors, public transportation in particular.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune on Wednesday told the broadcaster LCI that traffic disruptions will continue until Friday.

He explained that the aerial traffic would remain almost as disrupted as the first day of the walkouts on March 7.

The national railway company SNCF's workers, as well as their peers at the Parisian regional transport operator RATP, decided to extend the walkouts to Wednesday.

Oil refinery workers also extended the strike, blocking the fuel transfer to stations.

Government spokesperson Olivier Veran told broadcaster RTL, in response to the unions' call, that "the government's doors are more than open to the unions."

The reform plans, which have triggered public outrage, include raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2030, and require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for full pensions.