Hijjah, 1431/Nov. 23, 2010, SPA -- French unions staged a last-gasp protest over pension reform on Tuesday but, with the law that raises the retirement age already on the statute books, the turnout was tiny and labour leaders less defiant than before. Fewer than 50,000 protesters showed up for demonstrations in cities across the country, according to union estimates, while most public sector workers ignored calls to strike and public transport ran largely as normal, Reuters reported. The protest, scheduled before the unpopular pension reform became law earlier this month, was a mostly symbolic effort to show displeasure at a change that raises the minimum retirement age by two years to 62. "We are in a peculiar phase, huge numbers of people have mobilised so it is neither exceptional nor surprising that the time has come for a breather," said Bernard Thibault, head of the powerful CGT union. President Nicolas Sarkozy emerged victorious from his showdown with unions that had brought more than a million people into the streets on more than half a dozen occasions since the start of September, but he remains deeply unpopular.
