Return to “equity” or “contempt” for arduous tasks and manual labor? Since Tuesday, the National Assembly has been considering article 1 of the pension reform, leading to heated clashes in the hemicycle, while the mobilization in the street should continue on February 11 and 16.
With this text, the government wishes to continue the abolition of special regimes, which began in the 2000s. Under what arguments, how many people would be affected, and were they too advantaged? The Express takes stock.
A leftover from 1945…
Previous five-year terms had already eroded these special salaries, which were to be temporary, when the general Social Security system was created in 1945. After the war, the governments in force, pushed by the trade unions, considered these particular treatments as marks of recognition of the professional constraints which were exerted on certain professions. The measure was also seen as a form of advantage granted by the civil service.
… which the government deems unsuitable and too costly
The 2023 reform project plans to put an end to the special regimes for the electricity and gas industries (IEG), the RATP, the clerks and employees of notaries, the Banque de France and the members of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) . With the main argument that these schemes are in deficit, in addition to no longer corresponding to post-war professional realities. The beneficiaries would be too advantaged, according to the executive, because the arduousness of their work would have greatly improved, in 70 years, which the unions contest, citing an increase in the pace.
According to figures from the Ministry of Labor, the average pension tends to be higher for pensioners from a special scheme, at 2,500 euros gross per month for those whose pension is mainly from a special scheme against 1,510 euros for all retirees. In addition, “the duration of payment of pensions is higher compared to the whole of the population” in particular because of the possibilities of early departure, according to the same source. It would be on average 5 years longer, depending on the special diets.
If the law passes, the “closure” of the special diets would only concern new hires (from September 1, 2023). They are maintained for people who already benefit from them, according to the principle of the “grandfather clause”.
IEGs hold together thanks to a tax
In detail, among the first threatened by the pension reform is the system for the electricity and gas industries (IEG). In 2021, it covered 176,129 pensioners for 135,497 contributors, i.e. all employees in the sector. The pensioners/contributors ratio does not allow it to balance out. The balance – even a surplus of 216 million expected in 2023 – is achieved thanks to a tax, the transmission tariff contribution, which will represent 1.7 billion euros in 2023. The average retirement age is currently 60 years old.
RATP breaks even thanks to a state subsidy
Another scheme concerned, highly publicized: that of the RATP. It concerns all employees recruited to the status. They are around 40,000, for more than 51,000 pensioners. This scheme finds its balance thanks to an annual subsidy from the State, planned at 810 million euros for the year 2023.
Only certain categories of personnel benefit from specific measures allowing early retirement: drivers, station agents, security agents, control agents and personnel in charge of track maintenance. The average retirement age at RATP is currently 56.81 years.
Notary clerks, more and more contributors, but costly
The scheme for notaries’ clerks now has 62,850 contributors, but this number is growing rapidly, unlike other schemes. The number of pensioners is approximately 80,000. The average retirement age is 63 years and 10 months.
According to the Ministry of Labor, it benefits from an assigned tax, representing approximately 400 million euros. According to a report by the National Assembly, it “has been in surplus for several years, and its positive balance stood at 308 million euros in 2021”.
The Banque de France regime, one of the most unbalanced
The Banque de France scheme had around 7,850 contributors in 2021, for 17,000 pensioners. The average retirement age is 61 and 9 months. In 2021, the operation of this very unbalanced scheme between active and retired people represented a net charge of 546 million euros for the Banque de France, according to the report of the National Assembly.
They will escape deletion
The text of the law provides for maintaining the special schemes for sailors (27,580 contributors), the Paris Opera (1,807 contributors) and the Comédie Française (346 contributors). The reform also maintains the autonomous regimes of the liberal professions and the agricultural regimes. The special SNCF regime had already been closed for new entrants since January 1, 2020.