France hit with new round of protests against pensions reform plan

France is witnessing yet another round of protests and strikes today against the government's plan to overhaul pensions. Fuel deliveries from refineries across the country were blocked by striking workers Tuesday as part of the strikes against the controversial pensions reform, the CGT labour union said.

"The strike has begun everywhere... with deliveries blocked from all the refineries this morning," said Eric Sellini, branch coordinator for the hard-line CGT union. The union had launched a similar blockade in autumn, ultimately leading to petrol stations running out of fuel.

President Emmanuel Macron has been backing the pensions reform plan which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, along with increasing the number of years workers need to work to get a full pension. "I call on all the country's employees, citizens and retirees who are against the pensions reform to come out and protest en masse," the head of the CFDT union Laurent Berger told the France Inter radio station Monday.

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"The president cannot remain deaf" to the protests, he added.

"There is today a huge social movement... and it will need a political response."

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The pension reforms plan played a central role in Macron's re-election campaign last year. Macron's cabinet says the changes are important ifthe country hopes to prevent the pensions system from falling into deficit. However, the pensions reform plan has faced stiff resistance from several quarters. Data suggests that almost two in three people across the country support the protests against the pensions reform plan.

Starting Tuesday, unions say people should be ready for rolling strikes on public transport, throwing parts of the country into a crisis mode for weeks on end.

Police expect between 1.1 and 1.4 million people to hit the streets on Tuesday in more than 260 locations nationwide, AFP reported. This is more than the highest number seen during the five rallies seen against the pensions reform since mid-January. According to official figures, on the biggest day of demonstrations, so far, 1.27 million people demonstrated on January 31.

(With inputs from agencies)

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