French to raise retirement, pension age

PARIS, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Paris Thursday to protest changes in France's retirement age laws, officials said.

The number of strikers, however, was much lower than on earlier protest days, which the New York Times reported represented an important victory for President Nicolas Sarkozy and his government.

The lower house of Parliament Wednesday approved a measure increasing the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and the minimum age to receive a full pension from 65 to 67.

The bill is expected to be approved by the Constitutional Council. If approved, the bill will become law in mid-November and take effect in July 2011.

Bernard Thibault, the leader of France's largest union, the General Confederation of Labor, said opposition to the new pension reform measure "remains very much a majority view among workers and in public opinion," but he also said, "the way we contest it is shifting" due to members losing wages because of the extended strikes.

Union members' support for street protests seems to be weakening, in spite of opinion polls indicating continued public backing, the Times reported.

The state postal service said 5 percent of its staff was supporting strike action, a third less than for earlier strikes.