French strikers renew pressure on Macron to ax pension plan

By SYLVIE CORBET and ALEXANDER TURNBULL
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have marched in Paris and in other cities across the country to denounce the government’s pension plan as unfair to female workers. Demonstrations called by feminist groups have been staged to coincide with International Women’s Day. The show of anger against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was to continue in coming days. Train and metro drivers, refinery workers, garbage collectors and others have said they would continue the strikes. Unions aim at maintaining pressure on the government as senators debated the changes. Feminist activists say the pension reform would further deepen gender inequalities already noted at work, where women’s wages are on average 15.8% below men’s.