Strikes continue in France as pension bill reaches Senate

More labour disruption is feared as the legislature is expected to approve controversial changes to France’s pension plan today.

A quarter of the country’s gas stations are without out fuel today as strikes aimed at President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reform continue to hobble France. Sarkozy says raising the age of retirement from 60 to 62 is the only way to save the debt-ridden pension plan, but unions fear it is the first step to stripping them of hard-won labour rights. The pension bill is expected to be ratified in the Senate this afternoon. Demonstrations have turned violent in recent days with masked youth smashing store windows, setting fires, and clashing with police in Nanterre and Lyon. Protestors blocked access to the Marseilles airport today, Paris trains were delayed, and Lady Gaga cancelled two concerts in the capital.