BBC News reported that union activists have taken part in a series of protests across the UK as part of a campaign against the government's spending cuts.

Mr Bob Crow union general secretary of Rail, Maritime and Transport told rally that a collective action was needed to fight the cuts. It comes after the TUC said a national demonstration will be held on 26 March next year in London’s Hyde Park.

Chancellor Dr George Osborne announced deep public spending cuts. About 490,000 public sector jobs are likely to be lost as part of the cuts, the deepest and most wide ranging by a government in decades.

The government said that the cuts are necessary to reduce the UK’s GBP 155 billion deficit and strengthen the UK’s economy in the long term. It aims to save GBP 83 billion in four years.

Mr Crow told demonstrators that "The movement needed to be built up into the housing estates, into the workplaces, into every part of society and say we aren’t paying the price for the corruption of the bankers. He predicted the UK wide rallies would kick start a tidal wave of protest."

Meanwhile, strikes continued in France and the country is bracing for another day of demonstrations this week over a new retirement reform bill that the country's Senate passed. President Mr Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

A hundred or so demonstrators waving red flags and many wearing yellow stickers calling for a retirement at sixty gathered in Paris this weekend. They oppose the government’s plan to raise the minimum retirement age two tears, to 62 and full retirement from 65 to 67. The bill has sparked protests for more than two weeks from transport strike that has disrupted rail services and airports, and a blockade on refineries, fuel depots and ports that has left many gas stations empty. The French government says the reforms are necessary because of a large fiscal deficit.

(Sourced from www.nineoclock.ro)