Pension protest in French capital as talks go on

(9 Jan 2020) Protests in France continued on Thursday as rail workers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and others joined a nationwide strike over pension reform. As the government and unions pushed on with crucial negotiations about the changes, street protests were staged in Paris and other French cities, with railway strikes entering their sixth week. A railway worker said strikes are "something that's going to last", disagreeing with reports that protests are dwindling. Demonstrators donned crow outfits with "BlackRock" written on them, representing fears that privatization of the pension system will follow. "We have this protest movement that's been going on for 4 months; a strike that's already lasted 1 month and no one to meet with us," said a lawyer. The Paris march started from the Republique square in central Paris amid a large police presence. The Elysee presidential palace was barricaded as protesters were due to head toward the area. Talks between the government and labour unions resumed Tuesday but no compromise has been reached yet. A new round of negotiations focusing on the financing of the new pension system is scheduled for Friday. President Emmanuel Macron has asked his government to find a quick compromise with reform-minded unions. So far, the government is sticking to its plan to raise the full retirement age from 62 to 64, the most criticised part of the proposals. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...