Some 2.8 million people protested Tuesday nationwide in France during a day of rallies and strikes against pension reform backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the leading CGT union said.

The estimate is higher than that given by the CGT for the previous day of rallies on January 19, when it said two million took part, although authorities gave a figure only half of this.

In the meantime, according to a French police source, the number of French protesters against pension reform was 1.27 million. 

Earlier, AFP reported that hundreds of thousands of French protesters poured into the streets on Tuesday to protest against the pension reform plan introduced by French President Emmanuel Macron.

An increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 is part of President Emmanuel Macron's centerpiece reform package to assure the future financing of France's pension system.

The demonstrations, called for by the country's major unions, also disrupted transportation rounds and caused schools in many cities to remain closed.

According to a police source, the French government estimated that protesters across the country reached 1.2 million people, exceeding the 1.1 million count in the last marches on January 19.

After union protests against the change drew over a million people to the streets on January 19, the government signaled wiggle room on some measures, including the number of contributing years required to qualify for a full pension, special deals for people who started working at a young age, and provisions for mothers who took time off to care for their children.

Read more: 200+ strikes planned as French government insists on pension reform

"We hope to be at least that many again," Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT union, stated to media on Tuesday, noting that there would be [today] 250 protest demonstrations, referring to the previously estimated count of 240 marches.

Laurent Berger, the head of the CFDT union, highlighted that there were "already more people than last time."

"It's better than on the 19th ... It's a real message sent to the government, saying we don't want the 64 years," he noted.

On Monday, the French leader said the reforms were "essential when we compare ourselves to the rest of Europe," in what was considered a sign that the President has no intentions of backing down on the reform plan.

France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also vowed not to back down from a plan to raise the retirement age on Sunday.

According to the news site, around 11,000 police officers were deployed, 4,000 of which were in Paris.

CGT Union revealed that the protesters in Paris alone reached 500,000 people, almost half of the overall number of demonstrators across the country.

The number of protesters in Paris hit 500,000, which is higher than the marches that took place in the city on January 19, estimated then at 400,000, while the French government claimed the figure was 80,000 only.

On January 20, just one day after the one-million-person march against the government's pension reform, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a proposal to allocate a huge chunk of public expenditures to boost the military in 2024-2030.

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Macron's plan essentially involves an increase of 413 billion euros ($446 billion) to the army in 2024-2030, up from 295 billion euros in the previous budget.

Strikes leave several industries heavily disrupted

The former presidential candidate and prominent left figure Jean-Luc Melenchon said Macron "is certain to lose" as he marched the streets of Marseille.

"This is about more than pensions, it is about what kind of society we want," 59-year-old university professor Martine Beugnet told AFP.

The French capital's metro and suburban rail stations were heavily disrupted, as was transportation within the city.

According to AFP, citing a source from one of the French unions, almost 36.5% of workers at the state-owned SNCF railway operator stopped working while the number on the January 19 mass protests was 46.3%.

The Education Ministry said around 25% of the country's nursery and primary school teachers joined the strike, while the number was over 50% for middle and high school teachers a teacher's union worker stated.

The CGT Union at the country's energy giant, TotalEnergies, reported that between 75-100% of the staff joined the strike.

Macron's approval ratings plummet

The strikes represent a significant test for Macron as he seeks to put into practice a centerpiece policy of his second term in office, with unions predicting further stoppages.

An Ifop poll, conducted from January 12-19 and published on January 22 by French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche, revealed that the approval ratings of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne fell to record lows.

65% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the French head of state's actions in January, which marks an increase of 3 points compared to the previous month, while 64% said they were unhappy with Borne's performance, up from 59% in December 2022. 

'This is not good for the government at all'

High school and university students also backed the protesters.

"It's important to get young people involved in the pensions debate," a student who, along dozens of his colleagues occupied the main building of Sciences-Po university during the night, stated to AFP.

Earlier this month, a poll by Ifop revealed that 52% of those polled want to see France face a "social explosion" in the coming months, with the formation of a "Yellow Vests-type movement," while 79% of respondents believed that the scenario of an impending social upheaval is plausible.

On Monday, a poll by OpinionWay showed that 61% of French citizens back the movement, a 3% rise from January 12.

"The more French people find out about the reform, the less they support it," Frederic Dabi told AFP, a senior at the Ifop polling institute said on Tuesday.

"This is not good at all for the government," he added.

The raising of the retirement age will also force staffers to extend their working years to qualify for a full pension.

"I don't want to work longer," said Sylvie Dieppois, 56, a kitchen worker in western France.

"My job is hard and even at 62 I will be exhausted."

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