In France, it is D-Day on January 23 for the government: the pension reform bill is presented this Monday morning in the Council of Ministers. The text is at the heart of a union protest movement, as we saw in particular on Thursday January 19 with very well-attended demonstrations throughout the country. All weekend, the ministers tried to clear the ground by promising that the government had taken into account the remarks of each other in the text presented this morning.
The revaluation of small pensions for current retirees first. It was a requirement of the Republicans but also of part of the majority, and it will be included in the bill.
On the employment of seniors, the government is making a gesture towards a handful of Renaissance deputies who have been vocal in recent days. The text could finally be beefed up to further compel companies to employ the over 55s.
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But the demands of the allies of the presidential camp are still numerous, especially on long careers. More than a dozen LR deputies still do not find their account and threaten not to vote for the text.
A high risk of obstruction
The Modem of François Bayrou, for its part, multiplies the initiatives to add its paw to the bill. The text will arrive in committee at the Assembly next week before an examination in the hemicycle from February 6. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, some centrist elected officials will table an amendment to increase the legal weekly working time from 35 hours to 35.5 hours. But the majority is against it.
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In short, the discussions in Parliament will be hectic with a risk of obstruction from the left of the hemicycle and the battle in the street which will necessarily weigh on the debates and the vote of the deputies.