1ST LEAD Belgians protest pension reforms across country By Helen Maguire and Helen Fessenden, dpa

Brussels (dpa) - Thousands of protestors in Belgium marched on Tuesday to blast pension reforms proposed by the centre-right government, according to the Belga news agency.The day of protest is the latest move in an ongoing dispute between trade unions and Prime Minister Charles Michel, whose government took power in 2014 and pledged to overhaul areas such as pensions and the country‘s 38-hour working week.According to the police, about 4,000 marched in Brussels and 2,500 in Namur, Belga reported. Unions have higher estimates for those marches.Protests occurred in other cities as well, including Antwerp, Liege, and Leuven, Belga reported.A similar demonstration in May brought 70,000 protesters to the streets of Brussels, according to trade unions. In Liege, one of the main trade unions declared a general strike for Tuesday.The industrial action disrupted public transport services in Brussels and local train service in the French-speaking province of Wallonia, according to their web sites.The trade unions are demanding the right for everyone to retire at the age of 65 - opposing an increase of the pension age to 67 - and higher pension payouts to meet living expenses, among other things.The next federal elections in Belgium are due to take place in May 2019.