French Senate approves raising retirement age

Paris, France (CNN) -- The French labor minister praised the Senate on Saturday for voting to raise the country's retirement age, a key part of the government's pension reform plans.
"The senators have voted the heart of the reform," Eric Woerth told Europe 1 radio.
The French Senate voted Friday night to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. The measure has already sparked repeated protests in France, with another strike scheduled by major trade unions for Tuesday.
The full spate of pension reforms is still in discussion in the Senate, with the vote expected between October 15 and 19. With proposed amendments, however, the date of the vote could be pushed back.
The final step for the reforms to become law is joint approval by the National Assembly -- the lower house of the French Parliament -- and the Senate.