Social democracy: PM Bayrou's proclamations are not enough
Three days after the breakdown of talks on the future of the pensions system, French Prime Minister François Bayrou tried to revive the process during an unusual press conference on Thursday, June 26, during which he did not hesitate to rewrite history in his own way. According to him, the four-month negotiations between labor unions and employers' organizations, an effort to overcome the democratic trauma caused by the raising of the retirement age without a vote in Parliament, were "remarkably useful." Thanks to the goodwill of employers' organizations and the three unions that agreed to sit through the talks, improvements are on the horizon for mothers' pensions, as well as for retirees who have not contributed long enough to receive a full pension.
The prime minister downplayed the significance of the deadlocks that emerged over arduous working conditions and how to fund all proposed adjustments. He said he was ready to grant an additional two weeks of discussions to the labor unions and employers' organizations. But he did not rule out the possibility of putting forward "compromise solutions" himself that could be translated into legislation as part of the social security budget to be debated this fall.
If the goal of this initiative was to reshuffle the deck, its failure is clear. The Socialists, which the centrist Bayrou has been trying to win over since his appointment, submitted a motion of no confidence on Tuesday, on the grounds that the initial promise to review the issue of the retirement age of 64 had been broken. With just two weeks to go before the announcement of tough budgetary choices, this attempt at outreach to the left ended in failure. As for the participants in what Bayrou called a "conclave," they remain highly circumspect: While not shutting the door on further talks, all are holding back on responding.
Bayrou has always championed social democracy. It is his only card in this matter. Everythign else is playing against him: his record unpopularity, fueled by a tendency to procrastinate rather than decide; his inability to assert any real authority over the centrist bloc, which shares no common vision regarding the future of the 2023 pension reform; and his complex relationship with the president, who supports him but is also frustrated by the risk of an impasse. The combination of these weaknesses means that, instead of generating momentum around what he believes in – shared responsibility and easing labor tensions – the prime minister appears increasingly desperate, resorting to cunning manneuvers in order to survive politically.
The return of the labor unions and employers' organizations to the negotiating table is all the more necessary as the loss of a majority in the Assemblée Nationale led to deadlock and a simmering crisis. Bayrou said he was willing to entrust the governance of the public pension fund to the employer representatives and the unions. This would be an effective way to defuse and depoliticize the management of a hot-button issue that, given demographic trends, is far from settled. But trust cannot be mandated. Having been sidelined for eight years, the unions have every reason to be wary. Protected by pro-business policies, the employers' representatives struggle to understand that they, too, need to do their part. They reject any increase in contributions but are in no hurry to facilitate employment for older workers. The obstacles are not solely political in nature.
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Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
Pensions conclave: What changes for retirement in France?
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Retirement age As a reminder, this Conclave is about pensions, specifically Emmanuel Macron's highly controversial pension reform that - among other things - raised the French pension age from 62 to 64. On the age issue, nothing changes. Perhaps the key point was that those around the table – some unions, for example, refused to participate – 'accepted the principle of returning to balance in 2030' and 'not to question the age conditions set by the 2023 law', Bayrou said. That means the retirement age will go up, as planned, to 64. The change is already being phased in for people who retire over the next few years. So what was agreed? There were, however, important breakthroughs on other issues including pensions for mothers, for those who have taken career breaks and for foreigners working in France. Conclave has agreed to 'improve the situation of people, especially those who have had interrupted careers, more often women'. Progress was made to 'significantly and immediately improve' the pension rights of women who have had children. 'Instead of using the 25 best years to calculate retirement pensions, women who have had one child will gain one year, with the reference figure reduced to 24 years,' Bayrou said. Advertisement 'Those who have had two or more children, they will gain two years, with the reference reduced to 23 years. In addition, an agreement was reached on 'early retirement for long careers, thereby gaining two quarters of maternity leave'. There was also a deal reached on people who have taken career breaks or who have not worked a full career in France. Bayrou announced a compromise had been reached to reduce the retirement age at full pay from 67 to 66-and-a-half. This potentially affects foreigners who have 'blended careers' - ie they have worked some years in France and some years in another country, and plan to retire in France. 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READ ALSO : EXPLAINED: The website to help you calculate your French pension✎ 'Arduous' jobs Unions want employees in arduous or dangerous jobs for a long time to be able to retire early, regardless of their health, but employers want to make early retirement conditional on the establishment of incapacity by a doctor. Bayrou insisted compromise was 'within reach', and said negotiations would continue in the coming days. What next? Talks will continue but in the immediate future are two no-confidence votes on the prime minister over this issue, deposed by Parti Socialiste. It's not thought that these will succeed. READ ALSO OPINION: Another week, another attempt to bring down the French government The head of government also announced 'a legislative approach' in the autumn to 'answer all the questions raised' and, in the absence of agreement on the most delicate points, said he was ready to include 'compromise provisions' in the next Social Security budget. France's largest union, the CFDT, however, has refused to enter the ongoing talks. 'We do not want any new negotiation sessions,' Secretary General Marylise Léon told AFP. Advertisement She said that the two final sticking points identified by François Bayrou in reaching an agreement with employers, on arduous work and the overall financing of the system, were 'two extremely important and structuring elements of the discussions.' Bayrou – in Briançon – fired back, saying that if unions and employers step down from negotiations, 'we will decide'. He said the next Social Security budget would include 'a text, whether there has been a prior agreement or whether there has only been preparatory work for an agreement'.
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French senator accused of spiking fellow MP's drink sent for trial
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We don't know where they are, say families of French prisoners in Iran
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