Polish must work til they drop

The opposition branded the government "thieves" before the vote, which saw the retirement age rise to 67.

Women had been allowed to retire at 60 and men at 65.

Partial retirement is now allowed for women at 62 and men at 65, as long as they have been employed for 35 and 40 years respectively.

But the law will permanently reduce their benefits after they reached 67.

The new law - approved 268 to 185 by MPs - is expected to pass through the Senate and receive presidential approval.

Trade unions and opposition MPs have vehemently opposed the law, pledging to overturn it.

They have said it would place an excessive burden on the elderly and force young Poles to seek work abroad as fewer positions become available.

The social-democratic Democratic Left Alliance's Leszek Miller slated the law as being of benefit only to financial markets.

And MP Mariusz Blaszczak pledged that his conservative Law and Justice party would throw the new law into the "rubbish bin" if it wins power.

The Solidarity union has been staging days of noisy protests outside parliament.

It argues that instead of forcing citizens to work longer, efforts should be taken to slash the 13 per cent unemployment rate and boost job security for people over the age of 50.