the fears of a boss after the decision of the Constitutional Council on the pension reform

It is almost 6 p.m. on Friday April 14 when the information falls on franceinfo. “This is the news for this evening, the Constitutional Council validates the essentials of the pension reform…”, can we hear on the radio. Sitting at his desk, Francis Dubrac, boss of a public works company, does not react immediately, his face impassive for a few seconds, the time to measure the impacts of the reform on his society. With this validation, the legal age of departure is postponed from 62 to 64, a measure which should come into force from September 1. This measure is difficult to pass in this Seine-Saint-Denis company

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“My first thought goes to my employees. I am in a somewhat complicated field of activity in terms of the physical commitment of our employees. We are extending retirement. There is a moment when the bodies will let go!”, explains the entrepreneur, who is delighted, all the same with the censorship of the “senior index”. With this system, each company should have set up and calculated, in order to measure the integration of employees aged over 55, the training courses offered to them to develop professionally. “A gas plant that would have been useless in the employability of seniors”, according to the entrepreneur.

“It’s no use if it’s to end the last two years in illness”

Hakim knows about injuries and sick leave. This surveyor had knee surgery. At 55, he continues to work on road construction sites: roads, sidewalks, burying electric cables, gas pipes under the bitumen. “It’s a little complicated, loose Hakim. We take care to avoid accidents at work. If I have to jump in trenches, my knee may not hold. So, up to 64, it’s a problem!”

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Hakim started working after the age of 20. He therefore does not benefit from the long career scheme and cannot leave without a discount before age 64. The calculation is the same for his colleague, Ahmed, works supervisor. “I did not demonstrate but sincerely I am very supportive of the movement, says Ahmad. It’s useless to make reforms like that, if it’s to end the last two or three years in illness. Now I have a position of responsibility. I work less on construction sites than before. But it’s not for everyone.”

As in all construction companies, seats in the office are expensive in Francis Dubrac’s company, with barely thirty for 400 employees.

“Very often, people in the field cannot be reassigned, even with late training, in administrative tasks. Unfortunately, there are no redeployment positions for these permanently unfit employees.”

Francis Dubrac, entrepreneur

at franceinfo

The leader only sees technological advances and new machines to reduce the hardship on construction sites and to be able to keep his construction workers until their new legal starting age.