Posted Feb 1 2023 at 06:52 PMUpdated Feb 2. 2023 at 8:24
Like an overstatement. The day after the second day of mobilization against the pension reform and before the start of the examination of the text in the hemicycle on Monday, the elected LRs in the Assembly are raising the price of their support and their vote for the text. , essential to avoid recourse to Article 49.3 of the Constitution.
“The ball is in the government’s court,” said Wednesday the president of the LR group at the Palais-Bourbon, Olivier Marleix, before the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (AJP). The deputy for Eure-et-Loir mentioned LR’s demands on long careers and all those who started working before the age of 21 and will have to contribute at 44 and not 43.
Lack of “elements on the birth rate”
He had just raised the subject during a new interview with the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, which was also attended by the president of the Republicans, Eric Ciotti. The leaders of LR have “rested on the table a certain number of subjects” which “must be improved, in particular that of long careers. Even employers’ organizations are asking for it,” said Olivier Marleix. An allusion to the position of the CPME and the U2P.
Among the other subjects, the employment of seniors or the lack of “elements on the birth rate”, because “the sustainability of our system requires that we reverse the curve of the birth rate”, insisted the leader of the deputies LR.
Respond to LR requests
The latter did not fail to point out, regarding the vote of the LR deputies, that “if the government meets a certain number of our requests, there will be a very clear majority”. Everything being in “a certain number of our requests”… The LR deputies tabled an amendment to cap the number of annuities at 43 years. Olivier Marleix assured that the LR deputy for Lot Aurélien Pradié would vote for the text if LR obtained this measure.
On the government side, after the Council of Ministers, spokesperson Olivier Véran emphasized the “parliamentary debate”, which should “allow us to improve our text, without distorting it […] we stay on course”.
Asked about the discussions with LR on the years of contributions, he, at this stage, closed the door: the government is “open to all enrichments within the framework of respect for the balance […]. It is not our objective to give up this balance found, including that which means that those who started at 20, retire at 64. ” The measure would cost 1.2 billion euros per year. horizon 2030.
Bonus for the liberal professions
On Tuesday, the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, reminded the Assembly that each year, of the 800,000 retirements, “180,000 insured have a number of quarters greater than what is required. […] There is sometimes in the debate a facility which would consist in imagining that the required contribution period is a ceiling, in reality it is a floor. And to emphasize that the proposed reform plans to “reduce as many differences as possible to establish maximum equality”.
This Wednesday, however, he made an opening on the senior index which bristles employers, saying, on France 2, in favor of extending it to medium-sized companies. He also, during his hearing before the delegation for women’s rights in the Assembly, mentioned the extension of the 10% pension bonus from the third child for the liberal professions.
“Cheese and dessert”
“Obviously we continue to discuss with LR to find points of convergence, but in balance”, indicates the entourage of the Prime Minister, who could sketch, Thursday evening on France 2, avenues of opening, but will not do no ads. “It is much too early”, advances an adviser to the executive.
“Things will not move before the debates in the hemicycle, adds another. LRs should re-read what Raymond Soubie said recently [ex-conseiller social de Nicolas Sarkozy] : one third of the product of the reform is redistributed. It’s colossal. It would be painful for them not to vote for it. This would show their inability to govern. »
Eric Ciotti himself warned Tuesday during the meeting of LR deputies against overbidding demands, advising not to go beyond what the group has already put on the table, participants said. In the majority, however, we expect concessions during the debate in Parliament, on women, seniors but also long careers. “But, warns a government source, it cannot be cheese and dessert. »
