PARIS, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Massive demonstrations were held in France Saturday to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age.
Police put the total turnout at less than a million, while trade unions said several million people participated, the BBC reported. About 200 demonstrations were planned in cities across the country.
Turnout was higher on Sept. 6 and Sept. 23, the Interior Ministry said.
The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament, has already passed a bill that would raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and make other changes in the pension system. Debate is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the Senate.
French workers who have been paying into social security for at least 40 years and six months can retire at the age of 60 and collect a full pension at 65, the most generous retirement benefits in Europe. The reform bill would increase the retirement age to 62 and the full pension age to 67 while adding a year of required payments into the system.
