It promises to be the flagship reform of Emmanuel Macron's second five-year term.
Pension reform, on the agenda of the President of the Republic since he entered the Elysée in 2017, has never seemed so close to its outcome.
This Tuesday, January 3 and then this Wednesday, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne receives the social partners for a final session of consultations, before the presentation of the final arbitrations of the reform on January 10.
Departure age, hardship, special diets…
Le Figaro
takes stock of what we already know about the outlines of the project, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers on January 23, for entry into force at the end of the summer.
To discover
Withdrawal period, termination of subscriptions... What will change for consumers in 2023
A postponement of the legal age of departure
This is the provision of the reform that attracts the most criticism.
The government's initial plan was to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 65, at a progressive rate of four months per year.
Thus, he would reach 63 years old in 2025, 64 years old in 2028 and 65 years old in 2031. If this track remains favored by the executive, it is “
not a totem
”, hammered Élisabeth Borne on Franceinfo this Tuesday, January 3.
Another track, mentioned by Emmanuel Macron himself, would be a postponement to 64, accompanied by an extension of the contribution period.
Furthermore, the first generation affected by the increase in the retirement age will be the generation born in the second half of 1961. On the other hand, the age for cancellation of the discount will remain set at 67 years.
Read alsoThe pension reform presented on January 23 in the Council of Ministers, announces Elisabeth Borne
A minimum pension of 1200 euros
The government project provides for the establishment of a minimum amount of pension for retirees with a full career.
This is set at 85% of the Smic, or approximately 1200 euros net.
This provision should only concern future retirees, although Elisabeth Borne said she was open this Tuesday morning on Franceinfo to a debate in Parliament on the extension of this measure to current retirees.
The abolition of special diets
The government intends to abolish the special pension schemes, which allow beneficiaries to retire before the legal age.
Among the schemes impacted are, for example, those of the Banque de France, the RATP, or employees of the Electricity and Gas Industries (IEG).
Only new recruits would be affected, the famous grandfather clause, which has already been applied to SNCF since the 2018 reform.
Read alsoPension reform: public and private aligned, special schemes spared
Consideration of long careers
The government promises to take into account, in its project, long careers.
Today, a special system allows those who started working early and contributed a long time to leave earlier than the legal age.
“
The principle will be maintained and even relaxed for those who really started working very early
,” assured Élisabeth Borne at the
Parisian
in early December.
In an interview with the regional press a few days later, the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt proposed the creation of a "
very long career
" system, to allow those who started working before their 18th birthday to leave four years before the legal age.
Taking into account the hardship
The executive also says he wants to better take into account the hardship of certain professions in the future pension system, without it being very clear for the time being.
The creation of a "
retraining leave
" for beneficiaries of a professional prevention account (C2P), as well as the setting up of a "
professional wear and tear prevention fund
" for trades identified as difficult.
The reform could also resume certain criteria of arduousness abandoned in 2017 (carrying heavy loads, painful postures and mechanical vibrations).
Measures to improve the employment of seniors
In parallel with the postponement of the retirement age, the executive is also emphasizing the employment of seniors, weak in France compared to other countries, which it wants to boost.
For this, it intends in particular to create a “
senior index
”, similar to what already exists for professional equality.
It would be negotiated in each professional branch and published in each company with more than 50 employees, with possible penalties for the recalcitrant.
Other measures are also on the table, such as a revision of the combination of employment and retirement or the creation of a "
bonus
" for senior job seekers who would like to take up a job that is less well paid than what is offered by the unemployment compensation.
Read alsoEmployment of seniors, the other challenge of pension reform
