French pension reforms: What's after the deadlock?
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The French upper house of parliament Tuesday adopted the final text of pension reform, which, however, did not make trade unions bow down.
As more nationwide strikes are being prepared, hopes for negotiation are also emerging.
Continuous protest
Trade unions are grimly determined to oppose the bill with further strikes, and fresh protests are scheduled for Thursday and Nov. 6.
Seven of France's 12 refineries have chosen to continue strikes while others decided to resume work. Regional train service in the country has almost returned to normal.
Hundreds of university students also took to the streets Tuesday in the country's main cities such as Paris, Lyon and Toulouse to show their determination to reject the pension reforms and defend their rights.
"We have no choice. The government doesn't listen to our calls so we are forced to ask the youth to continue demonstrations with workers," Jean-Baptiste Prevost, head of university students union (Unef), told ITele television channel.
"Young people are not fooled (in) face of contradictory imperatives of power which want them to work longer hours when nothing is done to them to facilitate their entering the labor market," he said.
"The movement against the reforms will continue and will take other shapes. I insist the movement not be over," Bernard Thibault, head of the main trade union CGT, told state-run TV channel France 2.
