The French Senate, dominated by the right, adopted Wednesday, March 8 in the evening, after a fierce procedural battle with the left, the key article of the pension reform project, increasing from 62 to 64 years the legal retirement age.
Senators voted to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The vote was acquired by 201 votes against 115 at the Luxembourg Palace, late Wednesday, March 8. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne “welcomed” this vote on Twitter, again praising “a balanced and fair reform”.
The Senate has just adopted article 7 of the project for pensions. I am delighted that the debates made it possible to reach this vote.
The examination of the text will continue. It will make it possible to examine proposals from all the benches for a balanced and fair reform.— Elisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) March 8, 2023
Within the upper chamber of the French Parliament, the left on one side and the right with the support of the presidential camp on the other faced each other again.
The opposition denounces a “censorship”, the right castigates an “obstruction”
” Your name will forever be attached to a reform that will take almost 40 years back “Launched the socialist Monique Lubin to the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt. Communist Eliane Assassi denounced a debate “ sloppy ” And ” the goal of the senatorial majority of censor the opposition “.
” You are being melenchonized “, Accused the boss of senators LR, Bruno Retailleau, lambasting once again” obstruction from the left. ” We save the pay-as-you-go system », « we choose responsibility “said the centrist Olivier Henno.
According to the government’s plan, the legal retirement age must be gradually raised from 62 to 64, at the rate of 3 months per year from September 1, 2023 until 2030. In addition, to obtain a pension “ full rate” (without discount), the required contribution period will increase from the current 42 years (168 quarters) to 43 years (172 quarters) by 2027, at the rate of one quarter per year.
Final Senate vote expected on March 12
Silent since the beginning of the examination of the text, Thursday, March 2, the senatorial majority has released on this article since last night the heavy artillery of the regulation to accelerate the debates in the face of ” obstruction from the left.
A new recourse on Wednesday to the “closure of debates”, provided for by article 38 of the regulations, proposed by Bruno Retailleau on a socialist amendment in favor of women, triggered the anger of Laurence Rossignol. In this women’s rights day“ it’s not us you’re humiliating, it’s women, all women “, she launched.
Article 38 was then requested three times by François Patriat (RDPI with a Renaissance majority) and Claude Malhuret (Independents). This article ” closes » discussion of an amendment or article. The Senate also applied an article of the regulations limiting the number of explanations of vote on the article.
The left counterattacked with repeated demands for public votes on the amendments. The tension fell significantly in the evening, under the presidency of Gérard Larcher.
And the Senate succeeded in adopting, with a favorable opinion from the government, consensual amendments on the redemption of terms in favor of apprenticeship and high-level athletes, a relaxation of the conditions of redemption at a reduced rate for former students and internship periods in companies. He abolished the rule prohibiting primary school teachers from retiring during the school year and voted for a measure in favor of firefighters.
The debate will resume on Thursday March 9 on a controversial amendment by Bruno Retailleau so that the gradual extinction of special regimes, voted in article 2, applies to employees already in office. The senatorial majority aims to go through with the text and the final vote by the deadline of Sunday March 12 at midnight.