Senate passes controversial retirement bill

Special sitting of the Senate on Wednesday: photo - PAP/Tomasz Gezell

There were no abstentions in the vote, with 63 senators backing the reforms, and 13 against.

Until now, the official retirement age in Poland has been 65 for men and 60 for women.

According to the new legislation, which must now be approved by the president, the retirement age will be raised to 67 gradually, by 2020 for men and by 2040 for women.

The government's efforts to push through the bill led to widespread public hostility, with the parliament building blocked by thousands of demonstrators when the lower house passed the bill on 11 May.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been steadily falling in opinion polls since launching a wave of reforms after a winning a second term in power in October 2011.

A poll this week by Poland's Public Opinion Reserch Centre (CBOS) found that 43 percent of respondents are against the government, and just 23 for.

Prime Minister Tusk argued that the retirement bill is essential owing to demographic changes, with the ratio of workers to pensioners set to fall from 3:1 to 1:1 over the ensuing decades.

A compromise was agreed with junior coalition partner the Polish Peasants Party (PSL) last month that will allow a partial retirement prior to 67, with such pensioners nevertheless unable to secure full benefits.

President Komorowski was somewhat evasive on the matter of signing the bill earlier this week.

“To a large degree, this decision is in a sense prepared, but that does not mean that will be taken immediately,” he told Polish Radio. (nh)