Pensions: the government offers accommodations to lawyers, without convincing them

The negotiation continues. The government proposed Wednesday to lawyers, very upset against the pension reform project, to maintain a fund specific to their profession as part of the universal scheme, a development that does not satisfy the National Council of Bars.

"Lawyers will continue to benefit from a fund specific to their profession within the framework of the universal retirement plan," said the Minister of Justice in a press release, two days after a meeting between Nicole Belloubet and the Secretary of State. responsible for pensions, Laurent Pietraszewski, and representatives of the profession.

The lawyers have toughened their strike, blocking the courts, since January 6 in order to defend their autonomous regime and in particular their self-financing fund. “The national fund of French bars (CNBF) will continue to exist with its current governance. She will be able to manage the retirement files of all the lawyers, ”said the ministry again.

The CNBF “will also be able to set up solidarity mechanisms between lawyers in the retirement sector by partially paying contributions and guaranteeing a minimum pension at a level equivalent to that which exists in the current system. ", He assures. "This fund will also keep the management of the reserves created by the current plan to ensure the retirement of lawyers," also promises the ministry.

Lawyers not convinced

But for Christiane Féral-Schuhl, president of the National Bar Council which represents the 70,000 French lawyers, the government "makes no new proposals". "The government confirms and acts the end of our autonomous regime," she deplores. The lawyers want to keep this autonomous, “united and surplus” regime, which “works perfectly” and “does not cost the state anything”. The reserves of their pension fund amount to 2 billion euros.

VIDEO. Angry Lawyers: "This Reform Will Kill Our Law Firms"

The government proposes to us "to compensate on our own reserves the harmful consequences of the reform", gets angry the president of the CNB. "The government tells us, in summary: We double the contributions for half of the profession but if you want to pay less, go see your caisse which will find a solution, " she criticizes again.

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The CNB convened an extraordinary general meeting for Friday to decide on the consequences of the movement. The reform project notably plans to double pension contributions (from 14 to 28%) for lawyers earning less than 40,000 euros per year, and pensions, currently at least 1,400 euros net, would drop to 1,000 euros, according to the CNB .