Borne emphasized that she was ready to meet with all social partners. According to them, talks with representatives of trade unions and employers' associations could take place in the second week of April.

The pension reform envisages, among other things, gradually raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The French government had resorted to a much-criticized constitutional article to push the reform through parliament without a final vote. Of two subsequent no-confidence motions, she survived one with only nine votes.

The reform has been causing massive protests and sometimes serious riots in France for weeks. According to the Interior Ministry, more than a million people took to the streets against the government's plans on Thursday, and the unions even spoke of 3.5 million participants. Another day of nationwide protests is planned for Tuesday.