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Your support makes all the difference.French commuters elbowed their way on to packed subways and buses yesterday on day two of an open-ended strike against President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age to 62. The government held firm, despite the walkouts.
Railway workers voted to carry their strike to a third day, hoping to keep up the momentum of a movement that brought at least 1.2 million people to the streets for nationwide protests on Tuesday. Strikers continue to block oil refineries, raising concerns of petrol shortages. Elsewhere, the strike appeared to diminish, from airports to the Eiffel Tower to student pickets at high schools.
Mr Sarkozy told his government to pursue the reform "with determination and sangfroid", in spite of the resistance, according to his office. The governing conservatives say raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 is the only way to save the money-losing pension system – a reform that comes amid efforts across Europe to reduce sky-high debts that have threatened the euro and Europe's financial reputation.
The Labour Minister, Eric Woerth, emphasised that "street protests don't mean that we must scrap an indispensable reform". The strike that began on Tuesday was the fifth since May – but this time unions upped the stakes by making them open-ended, meaning that the walkouts could drag on for weeks.
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