The pension reform “passed” in a politically controversial way in France, after both President Emmanuel Macron and the government of Elisabeth Bourne went through 40 waves.
The public debate on the implementation of additional measures, however, continues. Thus, after the representatives of the unions, the prime minister started a round of talks from Monday with the representatives of the employers’ associations, Medef and CPME, who had declared “ready to discuss the issue of employment of older people”. He also met with representatives of artisans and freelancers.
The social dialogue is conducted on the basis of the relevant opinions of the Constitutional Council of the country. But it does not go as far as the possible revision of labor decrees or pensions, since labor unions ruled out such a thing as a “red line” for the conquests of the labor movement.
However, the French employer is said to be willing to cooperate with the government and the workers and to help in the direction of extending working life which, as experts note, will contribute to relieving the pressures that the pension and social security systems are under due to demographics and in France – even though it is one of the countries with the highest birth rates in Europe.
Progressive pension
Roux de Béziers said he was willing to discuss “progressive pensions”, the possibility under French law to retire two years before reaching the minimum age and receive part of their pension during that time while continuing to work as part-time employee.
It is this possibility that allowed many workers in France to retire at the age of 60. With the Macron reform and the raising of the threshold from 62 to 64, the “progressive pension” will start at 62 (from the autumn when the pension reform takes effect).
The issue, of course, is that not all employees have the possibility of a “progressive pension” because their employers often deny it. And this is because with the same money they give to a 60-year-old part-time employee, many times with less, they have the possibility to hire a new employee. Inexperienced, but full-time.
5.8% increases in the private sector
Geoffrey Roux de Béziers said he was willing to work with the government to find a way to ensure that employers do not bear the brunt of the increased wages typically received by older business executives, which “holds back their recruitment”. As well as high insurance premiums.
As for efforts to tackle inflation and deflation that eat away at family incomes and eat away at workers’ purchasing power, the head of Medef said “private businesses have done their part” by pushing for increases in the average salary of the order of 5.8%, according to the measurements of Urssaf, the Union that gathers the insurance contributions of employers and employees.
The activity bonus
Because the increases that are often given do not appear in the wallets of low-wage workers (those who are paid up to twice the minimum wage, who receive up to 2,700 euros net per month, that is in France), because they disappear by the partial or even complete withdrawal of the “activity bonus”. This is an aid intended for those who have low incomes, whether they are working or unemployed.
On Tuesday, the heads of the French Union of Craftsmen and Freelancers, who are also demanding incentives to extend their working lives, passed through the door of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
