Rally in French Polynesia over planned pension reform in France

3:36 pm on 6 December 2019

An estimated 1500 people have joined a rally in French Polynesia coinciding with a massive strike against France's planned pension reform.

Protesters against the pension reform planned by Edouard Phillipe's government in downtown Toulouse. According to an initial assessment, the event brought together 100,000 people according to the unions, 33,000 people according to the prefecture of Haute Garonne. December 5, 2019, Toulouse, France.

Protesters against the pension reform planned by Edouard Phillipe's government in downtown Toulouse. Photo: Frédéric Scheiber / Hans Lucas

The strike was called by unions of the French public service, and in French Polynesia it prompted the closure of about 90 percent of the schools.

French Polynesia's government said in the education sector about 60 percent of staff joined the strike.

Several services had been affected by the strike, including the met service which had stopped issuing forecasts.

France's public servants in French Polynesia want the current retirement system to be retained, which takes into account the benefits of having worked outside Europe.

They want the pension to still be calculated on the basis of the income of the last six months of work.

One teacher told the public broadcaster that she stood to lose about 30 percent of the current pension entitlement if the reform was adopted.

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