French unions plan new protest against pension law

French trade unions said on Tuesday they would call new mass demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron's bitterly contested pension reform next month, a day after hundreds of thousands turned out against the law.

The 14th day of protests will be held on June 6, the unions said, days before lawmakers debate a bill that would repeal the retirement changes forced through without a vote by Macron's ministers.

Police said almost 800,000 people turned out across France against the pension reform on Monday — the Labor Day holiday — while the hard-left CGT union tallied 2.3 million.

The unions said that while they would attend new discussions with cabinet ministers on issues ranging from boosting employment among older people to reforming vocational schools, they would "reiterate their refusal of the pension reform".

"There is deep defiance and dialogue can only resume if the government shows it is finally willing to take the unions' positions into account," they added.

More than 400 police officers were injured and 540 people were arrested across France on Monday, after May Day demonstrations against the country's pension reform legislation degenerated into violence.

May Day is a traditional day of political protest, but the current standoff over Macron forcing through his plans to raise the country's retirement age from 62 to 64 ensured this year's turnout was bigger than usual, and more angry.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 406 police officers were injured across the country, 305 of them in Paris, including one burned by a petrol bomb, and another knocked unconscious by a paving slab. There was also violence in the cities of Lyon and Nantes. In addition to the injuries, there were 540 arrests, 305 of them in Paris.

"The vast majority of protesters were peaceful, but in Paris, Lyon and Nantes notably, police officers came up against extremely violent rioters who had one objective: Kill a police officer and to attack the property of others," he said.

Some protesters used the march as an opportunity to vandalize, with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne calling the scenes "unacceptable". "In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment for responsible mobilization and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the demonstrations are all the more unacceptable," she wrote in a tweet.

Water cannons and rubber bullets were deployed by police in Paris, while tear gas was used in Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse.

"The page is not going to be turned as long as there is no withdrawal of this pension reform," said CGT chief Sophie Binet, who attended the Paris protest. "The determination to win is intact."

In April, Macron used a statutory instrument to force the pension reform through parliament, in the face of significant political and even greater public opposition, which fueled Monday's demonstrations, and showed no signs of abating.

Agencies contributed to this story.