<p>Despite weeks of protests and strikes that have hit railways and refineries hardest, the flagship reform of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s term is expected to be finally adopted by Wednesday.<br /><br />On the first day of a 12-day mid-term school holiday, Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau assured motorists highway service stations were well stocked but acknowledged shortages elsewhere.<br /><br />“More and more stations will be getting supplies,” he said on Europe 1 radio. The state railway company SNCF, where rolling strikes have reduced services by as much as 50 per cent, announced improved frequency on high-speed links — eight in 10 trains running — for the holiday rush but said many other services would be between 50 and 60 per cent of normal levels.<br /><br />Sarkozy and his centre-right government have refused to back down on a bill seeking to plug a hole in pension funding by raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60 and raising the age at which people qualify for a full pension to 67 from 65.<br /></p>
<p>Despite weeks of protests and strikes that have hit railways and refineries hardest, the flagship reform of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s term is expected to be finally adopted by Wednesday.<br /><br />On the first day of a 12-day mid-term school holiday, Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau assured motorists highway service stations were well stocked but acknowledged shortages elsewhere.<br /><br />“More and more stations will be getting supplies,” he said on Europe 1 radio. The state railway company SNCF, where rolling strikes have reduced services by as much as 50 per cent, announced improved frequency on high-speed links — eight in 10 trains running — for the holiday rush but said many other services would be between 50 and 60 per cent of normal levels.<br /><br />Sarkozy and his centre-right government have refused to back down on a bill seeking to plug a hole in pension funding by raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60 and raising the age at which people qualify for a full pension to 67 from 65.<br /></p>