French unions staged nationwide protests today against plans by President Nicolas Sarkozy to make people work longer to qualify for a full pension.
In a rare show of unity, France's five largest unions called on members to take to the streets in dozens of cities to denounce the government's decision to require employees to work 41 years before retiring against 40 years at present.
Early indications suggested that the day of action was having a limited impact, with public transport in France's two main cities, Paris and Lyon, little affected, and most major rail links running without delays.
Schools also remained open, one week after a widely followed strike over cuts in education staffing, meaning it was business as usual for much of France.
However, union leaders said the success of their protest would be measured by how many people turned out for the rallies, with 500,000 expected in Paris alone for the main march.
"The goal for today is not to get everyone out on strike," said Bernard Thibault, head of the powerful CGT union.
"The scale of the protests will show that the government will have to review its plans under pressure," he added.
More than one million people took to the streets during the last such demonstration against pension reform in 2003 and anything less today would weaken the union position.