Sarkozy defies French pensions protests
After large protest against pension reforms, and unions threats of more to come, French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy says that he will still raise the retirement age. The French government says that around 1.12 million workers took part in the strike, while unions say that the number was over 2 million. Sarkozy says that he will still raise the retirement age to 62 by 2018, but that he is willing to make concessions for workers who start paying into the system before age eighteen, and for some physically demanding jobs. Unions say that the concessions were not close to enough. The government says that the reform will save around $90 billion by 2030. Unions will meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss further plans.
See "Sarkozy defies French pensions protests", Roland Lloyd Parry, September 7, 2010