More than 1.2 million protesters marched in France yesterday, as rail workers and refinery staff began rolling strikes and trade unions stepped up their campaign to try to stop President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age to 64, reports The Guardian. For the sixth time since the start of the year, trade unions called a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations.

Macron’s proposals to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and increase the years of work required to claim a full pension are being debated in the French senate. Discussions are forecast to conclude by the end of March. The government is determined to press on with the pension changes, and its spokesperson said there were more important issues facing the country than the strikes, such as the cost of living crisis.

Rail unions called for rolling, open-ended strikes while local urban buses and subway trains in large cities were affected, as were airlines, with up to 30% of flights cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday as air traffic controllers also went on strike. About 24% of public sector workers stopped work, and many schools closed as teachers held a one-day strike. Refinery and energy workers also took part in strikes.