Paris, France: More than a million people protested in French towns against President Mr. Emmanuel Macron’s proposals to raise the retirement age, while a wave of nationwide strikes shut down trains, blocked refineries, and reduced power generation.

The nation’s top unions, buoyed by their success, called for a second day of strikes on 31st January 2023 in an effort to pressure Macron and his administration to abandon a pension reform proposal that would require the majority of people to work an additional two years until the age of 64.

“Now, the government finds itself with its back to the wall. Everyone knows that raising the retirement age only benefits employers and the wealthy,” the unions stated in a joint statement.

The Interior Ministry claimed that 1.1 million people participated in a number of rallies around France, which was an increase over the initial wave of public protest when Macron originally attempted to pass the reform in 2019. When the COVID pandemic broke out, they abandoned that attempt.

Police used tear gas after intermittent scuffles with youngsters wearing hoods on the fringe of the Paris rally. There were many arrests made. The government says the pension reform is vital to ensure the system does not go bust. Pushing back the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would bring an additional $19.1 billion in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to the Labour Ministry forecast.

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