# Monaco Workers Stage Largest March Yet Against Pension Reform > More than 1,000 public and private sector workers marched through Monaco to oppose planned pension changes, just as the Monaco Yacht Show opened nearby with rows of superyachts on display. - Source: Monaco Day - Canonical URL: https://monacoday.com/en/article/monaco-workers-stage-largest-march-yet-against-pension-reform - Author: Camille Rousseau - Section: Society - Published: 2026-09-26T22:57:33.124Z - Updated: 2026-09-26T22:57:33.124Z - Tags: pension-reform, monaco-protest, usm, monaco-yacht-show - French edition: https://monacoday.com/article/monaco-workers-stage-largest-march-yet-against-pension-reform --- More than 1,000 workers from Monaco's public and private sectors marched through the streets on Wednesday to oppose a planned overhaul of the pension system, just as the Monaco Yacht Show opened only a short walk away. The contrast was hard to miss on Boulevard Albert Ier, where 120 superyachts on display through Saturday stood a few streets from a procession of protesters marching behind a sea of flags to the sound of air horns and chants. Two separate processions, one setting out from Stade Louis II and the other from Saint Charles Church, converged at the Sainte Devote roundabout before continuing together. The march had been called by the Union des Syndicats de Monaco (USM), which was staging its fourth public demonstration in under a year and its largest so far. At the center of the dispute are recommendations from a working group set up in 2025 to look at ways of shoring up the general employee pension scheme as the population ages, without dipping into the constitutional reserve fund. The group brings together representatives of the government, Monaco's Social Security Funds, employees and employers. USM Secretary General Karim Tabchiche listed the measures the union rejects: reduced benefits for anyone retiring before 65, higher contribution rates, a ten year freeze on the CAR pension point, and no pension credits for periods of unemployment or sick leave. The USM argues the burden of keeping the system balanced should instead fall on employers through higher contributions. Among those marching, Christelle, treasurer of the electricity and gas workers union, said she had come to make clear her opposition to the proposed measures, warning that staying silent now would mean watching hard won rights erode. Stephanie, a 55 year old childcare assistant taking part in her first ever protest, carried a sign urging officials to draw on the state's billions rather than workers' pensions. Other demonstrators, some employed in Monaco since the age of 19, said they wanted to retire at 60 without seeing their pensions cut, arguing the principality has more than enough wealth to spare its most modest pensions. Beyond pensions, protesters also called for higher wages, protection of purchasing power and the creation of a Monegasque interprofessional minimum wage of 2,680 euros gross a month, according to USM Deputy Secretary General Thomas Bouzy. Speeches were delivered outside the headquarters of Monaco's Social Security Funds, where a supervisory committee meeting followed shortly after. Former USM Secretary General Olivier Cardot closed the rally by vowing the union would keep up the pressure until the government backed down from its bill. Workers from the hotel industry, manufacturing, retail and personal services took part, alongside artists, musicians and state and municipal employees. --- Originally published by Monaco Day. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://monacoday.com/en/article/monaco-workers-stage-largest-march-yet-against-pension-reform.