Thousands of Poles march against retirement age hike

WARSAW - Agence France-Presse

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Reuters photo

Thousands of people on Friday rallied in front of the Polish parliament in protest at government plans to raise the retirement age to 67.

The protest, called by the Solidarity trade union to coincide with the Sejm lower house of parliament's reading of the bill, was attended by around 10,000 people, police said..
 
The protesters, who want a national referendum on the issue, waved flags and banners before union leader Piotr Duda presented their demands to deputies.
 
Last month, Prime Minister Donald Tusk's liberal government opened public consultations on progressively raising the age of retirement to compensate for an ageing population and lower birth rates.
 
Under the government plan, women, who currently retire at 60, would retire at 67 as of 2040, while men, who currently work until 65, would also receive their pension at 67 in 2020.