They will meet today to discuss what, if any, further action they take.
Frederic Lefebvre, spokesman for Sarkozy’s UMP party, repeated the government’s determination to proceed with the main elements of a reform, which could go down as the hallmark of Sarkozy’s five-year term ending in 2012.
“A reform as crucial as this takes courage and we’ve got it,” he told France 2 television.
Three in four French people back the protest over a reform that two-thirds believe is unfair, a survey showed on Monday. However, worryingly for the unions, 65 percent believe the protest will have no impact, according to the opinion poll conducted by Obea-Infraforces poll.
Without major changes such as the rise in retirement age, France’s pay-as-you-go pension system would run up annual deficits of 50 billion euros (US$67 billion) by 2020, the government says.
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