“These announcements are liberal dogma”, criticized on franceinfo this Tuesday Michel Beaugas, confederal secretary of Force Ouvrière, in reaction to the announcements of Emmanuel Macron in particular his desire to reform unemployment insurance, and the postponement of the pension reform which will not be continued during this five-year term.
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franceinfo: Are you satisfied with Emmanuel Macron’s announcement to give up pension reform?
Michel Beaugas: We have been fighting against this reform since 2019, but this is only a postponement if I understood correctly. The President of the Republic announced to the French that tomorrow it will be necessary to work longer to have a full retirement pension, while we are entering working life later today. This means that when you enter the workforce at 25 or 30, your full pension is already between 65 and 70. So it’s an announcement effect today.
The head of state said that we will be able to work longer. What do you think ?
This is already the case today. The legal starting age is 62, but when you are in the private sector, it is more like 63 and then you can continue to work beyond that. In the Labor Code, the automatic retirement age is 70 years. This freedom already exists for the French.
“We are in a liberal dogma that says you have to work longer to be able to get your full pension.”
Michel Beaugas, Confederal Secretary of Force Ouvrièreto franceinfo
This is what the President of the Republic says, when he spoke of a minimum pension of 1,000 euros, it is when you have worked 43 years and 35 hours per week. These announcements are liberal dogma.
He also spoke about unemployment, he said he was aiming for full employment, that there were many sectors which were struggling to recruit. Emmanuel Macron spoke of less taxation in the future on work. Do you agree with that?
He also spoke of purchasing power. To increase the purchasing power of employees, social contributions are reduced and access to unemployment insurance is reduced, for example, access to social security and retirement is reduced. It is the entry into working life that must be reorganized in this country. What is needed is to increase salaries to have more contributions, more purchasing power.
Emmanuel Macron spoke of 170 euros per month more on low wages thanks to the tax abolished on overtime, the increase in the activity bonus. Isn’t that credible?
It has above all killed the increase in the CSG which puts a strain on the household budget. What he gives on one side he takes back on the other. At least the Covid-19 crisis has shown that there are jobs where working conditions are bad, where wages are not good. This is what must be reformed first, rather than pensions or unemployment insurance.