Senate to continue consideration of Article 7 raising retirement age to 64 on Wednesday

The Senate finally did not adopt, on the night of Tuesday March 7 to Wednesday March 8, the pivotal article of the pension reform project pushing back the retirement age to 64, after a tense session.

In addition to the gradual decline in the legal age of departure, this article 7 of the bill provides for the acceleration of the extension of the contribution period provided for by the Touraine reform of 2014, crystallizing criticism from the unions and the left.

The right-wing Senate had decided overnight to use an article of its internal regulations to speed up the discussion. There “closing of debate”, provided for by article 38 of the regulations, was proposed by the president of the group Les Républicains Bruno Retailleau on the series of amendments aimed at the deletion of article 7 carried by the left. It was voted on by a show of hands despite the outcry of left-wing senators.

“Act of Weakness”

“This recourse to this procedure is an act of weakness on the part of the senatorial right”reacted the president of the majority communist CRCE group Eliane Assassi, denouncing “a blow of force”, “an attack on democracy and the rights of Parliament”. “It is not worthy of the Senate”she said. ” Shame on you “, ” It is a scandal “added the leader of the socialist senators Patrick Kanner. “A historic day of mobilization, on article 7, the most important, you decide to gag Parliament, to censure the Senate”further accused the president of the environmental group Guillaume Gontard.

“We have been dealing with an obstruction for five days and five nights”pleaded for his part Bruno Retailleau, for whom “Obstruction is to Parliament what desertion is to a soldier”.

The left-wing groups then threatened to leave the Chamber if their amendments were not examined, and the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, finally gave up on proceeding to a vote on Article 7 and opted for a discussion of the amendments. remaining on Wednesday, March 8, after questions to the government.

Earlier in the evening, the examination of the article had already begun, in a turbulent atmosphere. Exceptionally in the Senate, the Communists marked this crucial stage in the debate by brandishing in the hemicycle placards bearing the inscription: “Retirement at 64: withdrawal”.“We are there, at the heart of your bill declared inadmissible by our people”launched Cathy Apourceau-Poly for the CRCE group.

“Here we are, here we are”welcomed the rapporteur LR René-Paul Savary, while the president of the social affairs committee, Catherine Deroche (LR), was angry with the left: “I’m a bit fed up with these remarks here, saying ‘but what do you know about work’ (…) What do you know about our origins? »

More than 1,300 amendments had been tabled

Article 7 is the flagship measure of the amending Social Security financing bill (PLFSSR) examined at first reading by the senators, and which could not be addressed by the deputies.

In the National Assembly, the debates had been greatly slowed down by the thousands of amendments tabled in particular by the elected representatives of La France insoumise (LFI). The party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon has no elected to the Senate.

According to the government’s plan, the legal retirement age must be gradually raised from 62 to 64, at the rate of 3 months a year from 1^er September 2023 until 2030. In addition, to obtain a pension “full rate” (without discount), the required contribution period will increase from the current 42 years (168 quarters) to 43 years (172 quarters) by 2027, at the rate of one quarter per year.

Predicting long and lively debates, more than 1,300 amendments had been tabled on this article, on which the left wants a vote, for “to enlighten” the French. By Sunday midnight, the right-wing senatorial majority, in favor of the reform, aims to go to the end of the text and the final vote.

“You are in the minority tonight”

Before embarking on the examination of article 7, the senators adopted by 236 votes against 103 the first part ” receipts “ Bill, “a crucial step”welcomed the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal.

The entire afternoon discussion, once again almost exclusively led by the left, echoed the significant mobilization in the streets against the reform. Senators on the left hailed one after the other the demonstrations organized in their constituency. “Villages, rural areas too, are mobilizing”underlined the president of the environmental group, Guillaume Gontard. “You are in the minority tonight. You will have to respond to what has just been expressed strongly in the street.said the communist Fabien Gay.