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Striking public workers brought cities across France to a on September the 7th. Thousands of people in over 200 cities went on strike to against the government’s plans to the country’s pension system. Union said over two million people marched in the streets. Among those downing were teachers, workers and nurses. They were also joined by sector workers, including airline staff and bank clerks. The French have one of the most state pensions in the world, but officials said it is too and they need to make savings. The most controversial plan to costs is to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 by the year 2018. French president Nicholas Sarkozy hopes his reforms will become law next month.

French believe raising the retirement age by two years will create savings of 100 billion euros by 2030. French leader Jean-Francois Cope supported Mr Sarkozy’s plans to make sure in the pension system did not damage the French . He told ‘Le Figaro’ newspaper, “all the reports conclude we're heading to this end”. He the French people that many other European countries have already raised their retirement age. In Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Spain people do not a state pension until they are 67. Even if French people at 62, that is still below the of 64 in richer nations. Henda Fersi, a passenger at a Lyon train station did not with the strike, saying: "I'm just getting tired of this because this is not the first time."