The French "know that little by little we will have to work a bit longer," he said, vowing to bring France in line with "other comparable countries". Nearly all trains and Paris metro services have been cancelled over the past two days and large numbers of schools have been closed, in the opening salvo of an open-ended strike that could severely test Macron's reform agenda. Philippe emphasised that the pension reforms, which he said would be unveiled on Wednesday, would be introduced "progressively, without harshness". The strikes are the latest test of Macron's mettle after months of protests from teachers, hospital workers, police and firefighters, capping a year of social unrest triggered by the "yellow vest" protest movement. Unions say Macron's proposal for a single pension system would force millions of people in both the public and private sectors to work beyond the official retirement age of 62.

Source: The Local December 06, 2019 17:15 UTC