FRENCH PARLIAMENT CLEARS PATH FOR CONTROVERSIAL PENSION REFORM

PARIS: France's lower house of parliament approved a hotly debated overhaul of the country's byzantine pensions system early Wednesday, clearing a major hurdle for one of President Emmanuel Macron's signature reforms.

The law passed shortly after midnight after two noconfidence votes introduced by the opposition failed against Macron's centrist majority.

The attempt to topple the government came after it employed a rare constitutional measure to cut short a debate that had become bogged down in a morass of opposition amendments, effectively forcing through the bill.

Trade unions and opposition parties slammed the move as anti-democratic but their calls for fresh protests against a bill that triggered the longest French transport strike in decades fell largely on deaf ears.

Critics say the introduction of a single, points-based system will force people to work well beyond the official retirement age of 62, or face lower pensions. The government argues that abolishing the country's 42 separate pension regimes, which offer early retirement and other benefits mainly to public-sector workers, will be fairer and end years of deficits. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe hailed the text as a victory for "social justice", saying that "those who defend the status quo... too often are just talking nonsense."

The text now goes to the Senate, where it is also expected to face opposition, before returning to the National Assembly for final approval.