the Senate votes a contract to promote the employment of seniors

Dominated by the right, the Senate voted Monday, March 6 the creation of a new type of contract of indefinite duration, “end of career”, to promote the recruitment of employees aged 60 or over. A decision taken against the advice of the government and despite opposition from the left.

The senators adopted, by 202 votes against 123, an amendment to this effect, carried by the rapporteurs René-Paul Savary (LR) and Elisabeth Doineau (centrists), to the pension reform project, the main measure of which relates to the age starting from 62 to 64 years old.

This new “CDI seniors”, would exempt the employer from family contributions. The latter could terminate the contract by retiring the employee who meets the conditions to benefit from a full-rate pension. He would therefore not be required to keep it until he is 70 years old, which today represents “a barrier to hiring seniors”according to the reporters.

France behind in the employment of seniors

France is below the European average for employment of 55-64 year olds (56% against 60.5%). The rapporteur clarified that the amendment had been drafted “on the proposal of a number of social partners”which would be responsible for defining the terms of application, branch by branch.

The Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, gave an opinion “unfavorable” to this new CDI. In particular, he wondered about his “targeting”. “I fear a windfall effect that will lead our family branch into the red”for his part, declared the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal. “One Hundred Thousand CDIs” are signed each year for employees over 60, he explained. If all were signed with the new contract, the estimated cost would be “800 million euros for the family branch”. And might even reach up to “2.2 billion euros” in the event of a windfall effect.

The leader of Les Républicains senators, Bruno Retailleau, has “formally disputed” the cost advanced by the government, emphasizing that this amendment “reveals one of the greatest challenges of this reform”. “What would be the point of raising the legal retirement age if nothing is done about the employment of seniors? »he asked.

“It is a direct order from Medef”denounced the socialist Yan Chantrel on the left. “We do not understand why we are always obliged to give gifts to companies so that they recruit people”said Monique Lubin (PS).

During the night from Sunday to Monday, the Senate had approved the creation proposed by the government of a “senior indexes” in companies, relating to the place of the oldest, but only for those with more than 300 employees.