Millions in France Protest Raising Retirement Age to 62

Public and private sector workers protest in Paris on Thursday against what they call an unfair government plan to increase in the retirement age from 60 to 62. (fred Dufour/Getty Images)

An estimated 2 million French workers took to streets on Thursday to protest government plans to raise the country’s retirement age from 60 to 62.

With one out of every five civil servants striking instead of going to work, schools and public transport across France were impacted.

French authorities say 50 percent of all trains coming in and out of Paris were affected by the strike, and 15 percent of flights to city airports had to be canceled as a result of the strikes.

Workers from both the public and private sectors joined the hundreds of organized protest activities across France. Striking print workers asked national daily newspapers to scrap their Friday editions.

On June 16, Labor Minister Eric Woerth announced plans to raise the retirement age to 62 by 2018 as part of a program to save the country US$55 billion.

While Unions have said the raise in retirement age puts an unfair burden on workers, Woerth said on Wednesday that the reform was “necessary and fair” and the government would stick to its plan.

The bill will go before cabinet next month and Parliament is scheduled to vote on it in September.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy set raising the retirement age his main priority this year. Sarkozy has said that retiring so young is now untenable since life spans have grown.

The retirement age in France, which has been fixed at 60 since 1981, is one of Europe’s youngest retirement ages. In most European countries the retirement age is up to 65 years old.