HAVANA TIMES – The Argentine legislature has narrowly approved big changes in the country’s pension system, repudiated by organized labor, which called for a 24-hour general strike, and other sectors of society, reports Democracy Now on Wednesday.

The legislation rose the retirement age to 70 for men and 63 for women, who protestors complain will now receive smaller pensions due to calculations being tied to the inflation rate.

“Ahead of the bill’s passage, thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Buenos Aires, banging pots and pans as they surrounded the capitol building. Police responded by firing rubber-coated steel bullets and volleys of tear gas at the crowds, injuring dozens and arresting some 60 demonstrators,” informed Democracy Now.