Over 200 Strikes Against Pension Reform to Take Place in France Next Week, Reports Say

PARIS (Sputnik) - More than 200 strikes against the pension reform project will be held at the call of leading trade unions across France on January 31, marking the second nationwide demonstration against raising the retirement age, media reported Sunday.

Trade unions of the Paris public transport operator RATP Group, as well as employees of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and funicular railway workers at French ski resorts have already announced their participation in the new round of strikes, the French broadcaster reported.

On January 10, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne presented a draft pension reform legislation, which the government plans to implement in September 2023. According to Borne's plan, the French government will begin to raise the retirement age in the country by three months per year from September 1, gradually increasing it from the current age of 62 to 64 by 2030.

The first nationwide demonstration against the reform was organized by eight leading French trade unions across France on January 19, which brought together about 2 million people. Over 200 strikes were held across the country, with the largest protests taking place in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, and Nantes.