French Senate passes pension bill

PARIS. October 23. KAZINFORM The French Senate has passed a controversial pension reform bill, which has caused a series of strikes and protests around France; Kazinform refers to BBC.

The senators approved President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, and it could become law as early as next week.

Mr Sarkozy says the measure is necessary to reduce the deficit.

But hundreds of thousands have protested against what they see as an attack on their rights.

Senators passed the motion to raise the retirement age by 177 votes to 153, after the government used a special measure known as a guillotine to cut short the debate on the bill.

Fuel shortage

The changes would raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full state pension age from 65 to 67.

The government says the reform is needed to save the indebted pension system from collapse.

Unions say retirement at 60 is a hard-earned right and say the reform is unfair to workers.

"It is not by hanging on symbols of the past that we will remain a great nation," labour minister Eric Woerth told the Senate shortly before the vote; Kazinform cites BBC.

See www.bbc.co.uk for full version