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After several days of debate in the National Assembly, Michel Barnier's government opts for a compromise on retirement pensions. Originally, the Prime Minister wanted to postpone the annual revaluation from January. According to his wish, it was to take place in July.
But faced with strong opposition, on the left of the hemicycle, but also on the right, Michel Barnier ended up opening up to other options. He does, however, pose a condition. The new measure should enable savings to be made. Finally, Michel Wauquiez (absent from the debates, because he is not a deputy) announces the final decision. However, the Senate also had to adopt it.
The Senate validates the double revaluation of pensions
During the night of Friday November 22 to Saturday November 23, the Senate adopted a two-stage pension increase for next year. This measure, which will primarily concern pensions below the minimum wage, was approved by 231 votes to 100, with the support of the government.
Senator Pascale Gruny (LR), sponsor of this measure, explains that all basic pensions will increase from January 1, but only half the inflation rate. This first revaluation will therefore be 0.9%according to details from the Minister of the Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin.
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Ms. Gruny emphasizes that this system aims to maintain a minimum level of protection for retirees in the face of rising prices. And this, while limiting the budgetary impact for the State. It is, according to her, the perfect compromise between social justice and protection of public spending.
A second revaluation for certain retirees
For retirees whose overall pension (basic and supplementary) is lower than the minimum wage, a second increase will take place on July 1, corresponding to the entire inflation. In addition, a catch-up mechanism will apply to compensate for the shortfall in the first half of the year. Enough to guarantee complete protection against inflation.
According to the text, this full indexation will be limited to pensions below 1,500 euros gross per month. For pensions slightly above this threshold, an intermediate adjustment will take place, with a reduced revaluation.
This compromise, on the other hand, will not make it possible to achieve cost savings. 4 billion euros. This amount does not come out of nowhere. Indeed, if Michel Barnier proposed a freeze on pension increases for six months, it was precisely to achieve such savings. This compromise reduces this amount by 500 million euros.
Strong criticism from the opposition
However, this measure is far from convincing everyone. The ecologist Raymonde Poncet-Monge denounces a system which, according to her, only modulates the loss of purchasing power of retirees. The socialist Monique Lubin, more virulent, describes this compromise as a scam which will lead to a lasting loss for many retirees.
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Indeed, for the next revaluation, some retirees will leave with a lower base. For years to come, they will lose money. Hence the discontent of millions of French people who have the impression of being the big losers.
It is all the more frustrating since the New Popular Front program proposes to make savings without touching the accounts of a majority of French people. For example, they propose to tax French billionaires an additional 2%. But Emmanuel Macron's government refuses to do so.
