Pensions: the key points of the final version of the reform
After more than eight hours of debate, the 14 deputies and senators of the Joint Joint Committee (CMP) on pensions ended up reaching an agreement this Wednesday at the end of the afternoon on a final version of the bill reforming pensions. The postponement of the legal age of departure from 62 to 64 has been confirmed, even if parliamentarians have acted on a “review clause” in 2027, with a parliamentary debate.
On several other points, the copy of the elected officials is significantly different from that given by the government in January. Overview of key changes:
Extended conditions for early departure for “long careers”
This is one of the major concessions made to deputies The Republicans (LR) to convince them to vote for the reform. The CMP has approved the extension of the long career system allowing early retirement for those who started working early.
Today, you have to start working before the age of 20 to stop working two or even four years before the legal age. Deputies and senators have agreed to allow those who worked before the age of 21 to leave at 63.
In addition, the CMP agreed that the beneficiaries of the scheme would no longer be required to have contributed for a minimum of 44 years but 43 years. Enough to allow those who started working at 17 to leave at 60, for example. This second concession, shunned by the Senate but put back on the table by the boss of LR deputies, Olivier Marleix, will not prevent some from having to contribute up to 44 years of age.
In total, these relaxations will cost 700 million euros.
· A boost for the pension of certain mothers
MEPs endorsed the idea, passed unanimously by senators , to create a pension increase for certain mothers. This bonus, which can increase the pension of those concerned by up to 5%, will be reserved for women who, at age 63, have reached the contribution period necessary to leave at the full rate and have acquired at least one quarter in respect of maternity, the adoption or education of children. Beneficiaries of the bonus will still have to work until the age of 64.
The idea of this provision, valid for both civil servants and employees in the private sector, is soften the blow of the reform for women who will lose all or part of the benefit of the quarters acquired in respect of maternity with the postponement of the legal age. This measure should cost nearly 250 million euros by 2030.
A pension increase for large families in the liberal professions
Deputies and senators have agreed to allow liberal professionals and lawyers with three or more children to benefit from the 10% pension bonus already provided for beneficiaries of the general scheme.
A senior index from 300 employees
The deputies wanted to lower the gauge to 50 employees, the senators reduced it to 300, the CMP stopped there: the target of the senior index will be in line with that initially wanted by the executive. On the model of the gender equality index, the companies concerned will have to publish once a year, under penalty of a fine of up to 1% of their turnover, a list of indicators relating to employment seniors and actions to encourage their retention in the workforce.
Taken after consultation with the social partners at the inter-professional level, a decree will define these indicators, their method of calculation and the methods of publication, all of which can be amended by branch agreement. If its index does not improve after three years in a row, the company will have to define an action plan after negotiation with staff representatives, but the part of the amendment by MP Sylvain Maillard (Renaissance) providing for a sanction n was not retained.
