French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe introduced a government plan to reform the country's complex pension system Wednesday in the face of fierce resistance from trade unions.

The reforms have sparked ongoing nationwide strikes that have crippled rail transport, shut down factories and slowed public services around the country. French media reported Wednesday that 75% of long distance trains remain out of service.

Introducing the reforms, Philippe said the time had come to build a universal pension system. "We are proposing a new pact between generations."

"We want a system that is the same for all French without exceptions."

What are the changes proposed?

Introduction of a €1,000 ($1,102) minimum monthly pension for those who have worked a full career

Mandatory minimum retirement age of 62, bringing it into line with the current official retirement age

Bonus system to encourage people to work longer — goal of age 64

In a concession to trade unions, the government said the reforms would not impact anyone born before 1975

The reforms will only apply in full to people entering the labor market after 2022

France on strike — in pictures Walkout causes gridlock Many workers hoped to return to work on Friday. Some commuters opted to hire bicycles and scooters and others took their cars. This led to large traffic jams in French cities. There were nearly 300 kilometers of traffic jams in the Paris region.

France on strike — in pictures Transportation grinds to a halt 90% of high-speed trains and 70% of regional trains were cancelled on Friday, the French railway announced. The French civil aviation authority instructed airlines to reduce their Friday flight traffic from central airports to 20%.

France on strike — in pictures A fairer system? Public sector workers are unhappy about a reform that would see France transition to a points-based pension system from its current system that has 42 sector-specific pension schemes. Currently, rail workers, mariners and some ballet dancers can retire up to 10 years earlier than other workers. President Macron said that the proposed system would be fairer for everyone.

France on strike — in pictures Pensions debate without movement Macron's proposals follow a long tradition of French government pension reform proposals stretching for three decades. Each reform has been met with massive demonstrations and none of the changes has succeeded in simplifying the pension system.

France on strike — in pictures United behind a low retirement age Years of protests against pension reforms have successfully kept the retirement age low. In France, the pension age was raised to 62 years. This is among the lowest in OECD countries, despite being raised from 60 years in 2010 reforms. In Germany, retirement is at 67 years old.

France on strike — in pictures Stronger together? French union leaders are the driving force behind the nationwide strike — but they are not united. The CGT union is the most hardline. It rejects any pension reform proposals and said workers had blocked seven out of eight of the countries oil refineries. The CFDT union is more moderate and is open to the idea of a points-based system.

France on strike — in pictures Protests sparked While the majority of protesting consisted of peaceful marches, masked protesters also vandalized bus stops, smashed shop windows, and threw fireworks at police as demonstrators progressed through Paris on Thursday.

France on strike — in pictures Seeing red at pension proposals The so-called Yellow Vests are known for their direct approach to protesting and have said they would join the strikes. Authorities are bracing themselves for possible violence. The yellow-vest movement has swelled into anti-government and anti-inequality protests. Many see the general strike in France as protecting the country's social safety net — not just about preserving pensions.

France on strike — in pictures Riot police move in After peaceful protesting escalated to include rioting and damage to public and private property, security forces also intensified their tactics. Riot police charged crowds and fired tear gas to disperse violent demonstrators.

France on strike — in pictures Police and protesters clash in Paris Police clashed with protesters on Thursday in Nantes, Montpellier, Paris as well as other cities. Masked demonstrators started fires, smashed storefronts, and vandalized cars. Author: Kate Martyr



Streamlining the pension system

French President Emmanuel Macron has invested enormous political capital in streamlining the French pension system, saying that a single, points-based system would be fairer and give each pensioner the same rights for each euro contributed.

The current system has 42 separate pension schemes. Transport workers, for example, enjoy earlier an retirement age than other sectors. Under the the new plan, workers from all sectors would retire at the same age.

Read more: Opinion: France's Emmanuel Macron faces bumpy road to reform

Premier Philippe has tried to reassure workers in sectors enjoying early retirement or generous pensions that the reforms would be applied gradually.

Philippe said women would be "big winners" of the new system, as their current pensions are half as much as men, with state pensions in France tied to career earnings.

Why are workers against reform?

Trade unions say that Macron is stripping workers of their benefits to balance the state budget. Unions also fear people will be forced to work longer for smaller pensions.

French unions have said they will not call off the strike unless the reform is scrapped outright.

Read more: 'Macron needs to shed his image as president of the rich'

Philippe said Wednesday that reworking the system should not be "a battle."

"The ambition of a universal scheme is an ambition for social justice, there is no hidden agenda," said Philippe. "We want to protect the purchasing power of workers and the pensioners of today and tomorrow."

Protests, strikes continue

An estimated 339,000 protesters took to the streets of cities across France on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry.

There were also reports of oil supplies being affected as depots are blocked.

According to Paris' transport operator RATP, 10 out of the French capital's 16 metro lines will not be running, and four lines will operate reduced service.

Following the mass demonstrations on Tuesday and last Thursday, trade unions have called for more protests on December 12 and 17.

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wmr/stb (Reuters, dpa, AFP)

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