The French parliament has adopted a law that will allow people to work until 70 despite criticism that it opens the way to push back the official retirement age.
The government denies the law would force anyone to work beyond the age of 65 - the current compulsory retirement age - and says it will allow greater flexibility to those who want to keep working.
The law was passed in the lower house earlier this month, and was passed by the Senate on Thursday.
Under the current system, French workers can retire at the age of 60 if they have paid contributions to pension schemes for a certain number of years. The contribution period is set to rise from 40 to 41 years by 2012.
