Pensions: an opening is emerging on hardship

After four weeks of discussions on “professional wear and tear” and the employment of seniors, the social partners “converge on certain developments proposed by the government”, thus indicates the Ministry of Labor in a “record of discussions” sent Tuesday evening to the 11 organizations received as part of this consultation.

This is particularly the case of the "uncapping" of C2P. Currently, employees exposed to certain risks (night work, noise, extreme temperatures, etc.) accumulate points - a maximum of 100 - which are most often used to retire earlier - a maximum of two years.

A consensus is therefore emerging to raise this quota of points, but also for a "better valuation of poly-exposure" (several simultaneous risks), or even to finance via C2P "a retraining after a certain period of exposure".

The door even opened ajar to a return of three risk factors eliminated five years ago (carrying heavy loads, awkward postures, mechanical vibrations).

But this reversal claimed by employee organizations, CFDT in the lead, would not be based on criteria common to all workers, because of "the difficulty of carrying out individual monitoring", explains the ministry.

The idea would rather be "to identify trades, tasks or work situations likely to be exposed" and to refer this work to the different professional branches, which "seem to have a decisive role and could constitute the right level for reflection" .

Other points of agreement emerged from this first round of consultation, in particular on the maintenance of the "long career" system, which allows a departure at 60, or even 58 years for those who started working before 20 years old. “The principle of granting an advantage” to those who started young and contributed long enough “is shared”, assures the ministry.

Same general consent in favor of combining employment and retirement, phased retirement or even “access for seniors to vocational training”. The track of a "senior index" to fight against age-related discrimination, put forward by the government, on the other hand "raised questions and reservations".

This progress report was also presented to the representatives of the parliamentary groups, received on Wednesday by Minister Olivier Dussopt - with the exception of deputies and senators LR, who did not respond to the invitation.

Discussions with the social partners will continue on the theme of "equity and social justice" from next week. A title which notably covers the subjects of small pensions, gender equality and special schemes. The CGT, which had boycotted the first cycle – because of requisitions in the refineries – will return to the negotiating table there.