STORY: A coalition of French unions, maintaining a rare show of unity since the protest movement was launched at the end of January, hopes to keep up to pressure on the government to withdraw the reform, whose key measure is a two-year extension of the retirement age to 64.

According to interior ministry figures, up to 1 million people are expected to take part in over 200 marches throughout the country while the Senate continues to review the reform, with a possible vote on the text from the upper house of the Parliament expected by Sunday night (March 12).

Protests kicked off in Paris at 2 p.m, with police launching tear gas at Black bloc protesters, who burned trash bins and broke glass billboards.

"We are still asking Macron to listen to the workers. He's been playing deaf until now, but he haseen that there are a lot of people, that these reforms are really being rejected by all workers," said Mohamed Behallut, director of the CFDT cleaners' union.