French Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne said today that the Government's plan to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years "is no longer subject to negotiation".

As reported by the agencies, the Prime Minister's statement further "angered" opponents and unions, who are planning new mass protests and strikes this week.

Raising the retirement age is part of a broader law being implemented by French President Emmanuel Macron in his second term.
The bill has met with widespread public resistance, with more than a million people protesting against it earlier this month, and discontent has been fueled by the lack of clarity over what it will do for French workers.

Bourne said the retirement age was "no longer negotiable" and that retirement would be at 64, and extending the number of years needed to earn a full pension was a "compromise proposed following discussions with employers and unions".

After her statement, the number of signatures on an online petition of the union fighting the retirement plan increased sharply.

MP Manuel Bompard, whose "France Unconquered" party is leading the parliamentary push against the reforms, called for the "biggest possible turnout" in the upcoming strikes and protests.