French people all over the country took to the street on Tuesday to protest against the government's plan to reform pensions and working hour limit.
The demonstration was called by the two biggest French unions CGT and CFDT, which are opposed to the government's plan that would give companies more scope to by-pass the standard 35-hour weekly limit for workers and extend the number of years workers have to stay on the job from 40 to 41 to qualify for full retirement benefits.
In the capital, about 55,000 people marched from the Place de la Bastille, and in Marseilles, the number of protestors reached 60,000, said organizers, noting they have called for demonstrations in more than 120 cities and towns against the reform plan.
The workers' unions said the proposal, which is due to be presented to the cabinet by Minister for Labor, Labor Relations and Solidarity Xavier Bertrand on Wednesday, would give company bosses greater power in negotiations and thus damage the workers' interests.
The unions also accused the government of taking unilateral actions and vowed to stage more protests to keep up the pressure on legislators so that the plan would fail to get the congressional approval.
Source:Xinhua
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