France hit by new strikes, protests over pension reform

7/2/2023 18:19

        Fresh strikes hit trains, schools and refineries in France on Tuesday (Feb 7) over an unpopular pension reform pushed by President Emmanuel Macron, with nationwide protests planned for later in the day.
        
        A third day of union-backed demonstrations since Jan 19 is set to test momentum for the protest movement which has vowed to block Macron's bid to raise the retirement age.
        
        Macron put raising the retirement age and encouraging the French to work more at the heart of his re-election campaign last year, but polls estimate that two-thirds of people are against the changes.