France strikes see massive protests on sixth day as Macron refuses to drop pension reform plans

No end in sight to travel chaos as worst strikes in decades continue

People take part in a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday, the sixth day of massive strike action over the government's proposed pension reforms (AFP via Getty)

The French government plans to unveil details of controversial pension reforms on Wednesday, despite six straight days of strikes continuing to cause huge disruption across the country.

Public transport, schools, hospitals and postal services have all been affected, with unions organising a second round of street protests on Tuesday. Early figures suggest the turnout was about half as big as last week's demonstrations, when an estimated 800,000 people took to the streets.

The French prime minister, Edouard Philippe, will reveal the full details of the pension changes on Wednesday morning, with the apparent drop-off in numbers likely seen as a positive for the government. Mr Philippe warned that there would be no "magic announcements" bringing an end to the strikes.

One of France's biggest unions, the CGT, described the proposed pension reforms as a "new blow to the most vulnerable", who have already been hit by recent changes to unemployment insurance.

"Given the depth of discontent, there is a need to get more people on the streets," said CGT's secretary general, Philippe Martinez.

In Bordeaux and Marseille, thousands of protesters waved union flags and held up banners reading, "We have to get rid of Macron". Demonstrations were also taking place in Rennes, Lyon, Nantes and Paris. In the capital, riot police fanned out along the Champs Elysees boulevard in central Paris and barricaded streets leading to the offices of the president, Emmanuel Macron.

The reforms were a key election pledge of Mr Macron, who claims they are necessary to revitalise France's economy and ease pressure on the country's heavily burdened social-security system.

Mr Macron wants to introduce a universal pension scheme that will unify 42 different public-sector pension schemes that are currently in place. Critics describe the reforms as an attack on workers' rights and claim they will mean most people will have to work longer for less.

"What's at stake goes much beyond simply overhauling the pension system," said Christopher Dembik, an economist at Saxo Bank in Paris. "For Emmanuel Macron, it's about not losing face to the 'old world', to the institutions he vilified during his campaign, and to reassert his ability to reform the country."

The last time such drastic reforms were proposed was in 1995, when several weeks of nationwide strikes resulted in the government eventually backing down.

Some protesters said on Tuesday that the lower turnout was because workers were preparing for a similarly long fight if necessary.

"Each day that we strike is a day's salary lost," said Paris protester Yann Cardin. "Today we're hunkering down for the long haul. We need to manage our forces."

Additional reporting by agencies