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Thousands of students, workers and pensioners demanding better wages and a lower retirement age went on the largest protest in the capital Ljubljana in the past four years, local reports said. Around one hundred buses, along with many more cars and vans have arrived in the capital, bringing protesters from across the country, TV Slovenia said.

Labour unions want the minimum wage hiked from 430 to 600 euros (640 to 900 dollars) a month and the scrapping of the new labour rule pushing the retirement age to 65 years for both sexes.

In Slovenia, which broke from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and joined the European Union 13 years later, some 17,500 out of the 2 million inhabitants work at the level of the minimum wage.

In addition, unions say that a further 150,000 are paid less than 600 euros a month.

Prime Minister Borut Pahor warned earlier that a large increase of the minimum wage would hamper Slovenia's economic competitiveness.

While Labour Minister Ivan Svetlik said a phased increase of wages may be possible, Pahor has ruled out any compromise on the demand for the return of an earlier retirement age.

The daily Delo said the protest was the largest since a November 2005 demonstration in which 70,000 demonstrated against a government reform plan.

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