OREANDA-NEWS. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 31 thousand people in Paris and 339 thousand people throughout the country were taking part in the second mass demonstration of trade unions against pension reform.

The independent organization Occurrence claims that there were 27 thousand protesters in the capital of France.

The first rally, held on December 5, according to the ministry, gathered 65 thousand protesters in Paris and 806 thousand in the country.

Earlier on December 10, the Prefecture of the French police reported that 11 men were detained during protests in the capital.

On December 8, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the country’s authorities intend to complete the pension reform proposed by the government.

A nationwide strike against pension reform began in France on December 5. The initiative proposed by President Emmanuel Macron should unify the existing pension systems, which, in his opinion, are too expensive and complicated. The reform involves the introduction of a point system that takes into account each day worked. As a result, the size of the future pension will depend on the number of accumulated points. According to the new system, representatives of a number of professions, including opera artists, lawyers and sailors, are deprived of their privileges. In addition, the retirement age will actually increase from the current 62 to 64 due to the fact that because of innovations, retirement at 62 will be unprofitable, although not prohibited.