French unions call for more protests

Unions in France have called for two more days of protests against the government’s plans to increase the age of retirement, as lawmakers cut through red tape to try to make the proposal law within days.



Six major unions called for nationwide demonstrations on October 28 and November 6, saying that the protests held so far have been successful.



More than a million people have turned out to protest against the proposal to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, a move the government says is necessary to save money.



Yesterday, the French senate adopted new rules to speed up voting on the controversial pension reform bill.



The move means that the senate can now pass its version as soon as today, meaning a final version can be sent to the president as soon as early next week.