The government said turnout was down significantly on a rally last weekend against the push to raise the retirement age, but unions said the numbers were stable and vowed to maintain pressure to drop the plans ahead of a Senate vote on Tuesday.

Only minor scuffles were reported during Saturday's marches, which came on top of five-day old rail and refinery strikes which have piled pressure on the center-right government.

Jet fuel supply was restored to a key pipeline on Saturday, easing the pressure at Paris airports, but week-long strikes at all France's refineries could pinch supply hard from next week.

Truck drivers, the big guns of French protests, will start to block roads from Sunday evening, a union spokesman said.

Reuters