France wakes up to 'hellish Thursday' amid mass strike over planned pension reform

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) - France is facing a "hellish Thursday" as hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join a nationwide strike to protest the government's planned pension reform.

The pension reform project, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2030, immediately triggered outrage from workers and unions when the government announced preparations last year.

Several unions have called for strikes and demonstrations after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne revealed details last week.

The national railway operator SNCF and Parisian regional transport operator RATP also announced strikes, causing serious disruptions in bus and train services.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune warned Tuesday about a "hellish Thursday" amid the nationwide strike and protests, calling on people to avoid or postpone movements and work from home if possible.

In the Parisian region, the lines of RATP and rapid transit system RER are highly disrupted, with one line completely out of function and 12 others working partially, according to the daily Le Monde.

School teachers are also joining the mass strike. The main union for primary education, Snuipp-FSU, predicted Tuesday that 70% of primary school teachers will go on strike on Thursday, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

Sophie Venetitay, secretary general of SNES-FSU, the main union for secondary education, told broadcaster Franceinfo on Thursday: "The preliminary details show that more than half of middle school and high school teachers will go on strike."

Also, electricity production was cut by at least 7,000 megawatts without any impact on the consumers due to the strikes, the General Confederation of Labor's mines and energy branch FNME said on Twitter earlier on Thursday.

Besides strikes, more than 200 demonstrations are expected across the country, with up to 750,000 protesters projected to join, according to French intelligence.

Authorities also expect "radical elements" may spark violence during protests, according to broadcaster Europe 1.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced Wednesday that 10,000 police officers, including 3,500 in Paris, will be on duty to ensure security during the protests.

Borne said last week that the minimum pension would rise to 85% of the minimum wage, meaning around €1,200 ($1,288) per month.

Starting in 2027, the change will also require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for full pensions, she said.

The draft reform is set to be presented on Jan. 23 to the Council of Ministers.