Slovenians in mass protest over wages, retirement

"Some 30,000 workers, pensioners and students from all over Slovenia demonstrated in the centre of Ljubljana on Saturday for a higher minimum wage and against a rise in the retirement age.

Trade unions organised the gathering to back their demand for a 31 percent rise in the minimum wage to 600 euros ($900) and the scrapping of a government plan to raise the retirement age to 65.

At present men can retire at 58 and women at 56 in Slovenia.

Despite the threat of lay-offs, 'we will continue to demand that the minimum wage be raised to 600 euros,' Davorka Pregl, a public sector trade union representative, told the crowd.

'We demand that the government scrap its pension reform plans,' Pregl added, winning cheers from the crowd, many of whom waved red flags and wore red raincoats carrying the slogans 'For higher wages' and 'For social Slovenia'."

Source: Reuters