Almost 75% Of France's Residents Support Further Protests Against Pension Reform - Reports

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2023) Three out of four French residents believe it is necessary to further protest against the controversial pension reform, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Wednesday.

According to Elabe's poll, conducted for the broadcaster, 72% of the French believe that protests against the reform should continue, while 41% of respondents say further demonstrations should be tougher.

At the same time, more than four in ten French people believe that indefinite strikes and an expanded social movement are necessary. Over 70% of residents called the reform "unfair," 58% slammed it as "ineffective for the viability of the pension system," and 53% said the reform was "unnecessary."

On January 10, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. According to the draft, the French authorities will gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023.

By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64 years.

Three nationwide strikes have since taken place in France as people protest the reform. The first nationwide strike against pension reform took place across France on January 19, during which eight of the country's largest trade unions held more than 200 demonstrations. An estimated 1 million people took part in the protests, the French Interior Ministry said. On January 31, over 87,000 people reportedly took part in the second demonstration against pension reform held in Paris. The latest protest was held on Tuesday, with some 757,000 people having participated in it.

France's largest union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), estimated the number of protesters at almost 2 million people countrywide, with 400,000 in the French capital.