Poles Stage Huge Antigovernment Protest In Warsaw

Polish union protests in Warsaw

Tens of thousands of Polish labor-union members staged a protest march through Warsaw on September 14 against the government's labor and wage policies.

The protesters converged on the Polish capital from all over the country on the last of four days of major protests.

The organizers said they expected more than 100,000 people.

Labor unions say the policies of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government hurt the interests of workers and their families.

Tusk is in his sixth year office, Poland's longest-serving premier since the fall of communism. But his government is losing popularity after recently raising the retirement age to 67 years from the previous 65 years for men and 60 for women, and reforming the pensions system.

Protesters demanded job security, healthcare guarantees and retirement benefits. Polish unemployment is 13 percent.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP