Strikes lose steam at French oil refineries

French garbage collectors waded through mounds of reeking trash as they headed back to work yesterday and some oil workers deserted their picket lines — signs of fading momentum in the battle against raising the retirement age.

France's finance minister declared that the massive protest movement had finally reached a "turning point," and the Senate gave its final 177-151 vote approval to President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62.

The bill now goes before the lower house today, where it is almost certain to pass. It then will face challenges by the opposition Socialists before the country's Constitutional Court. Sarkozy is not expected to sign it until mid-November at the earliest.