The hot spots of the jousting over pensions at the Assembly

More than 20.000 amendments were tabled before the arrival of the pension reform in the hemicycle on Monday, leaving little hope of a full examination by February 17, the deadline before its transmission to the Senate.

The postponement of the legal age of departure from 62 to 64, just like the accelerated extension of the contribution period to 43, "it is no longer negotiable", has already warned Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, while suggesting some openings on other points.

The 64 years, "it's no"

The Nupes groups (LFI, PS, PCF, EELV) have tabled some 13.000 amendments, where they notably decline their alternative sources of financing, such as the restoration of wealth tax or the taxation of dividends.

But their only objective, "is the withdrawal of the reform", explains the leader of the Socialist deputies Boris Vallaud, for whom the decline in the legal age is a "tax on life". "If they put a little more honey in the spoon, who cares. If they maintain the age measure, no."

The small independent group Liot also makes this measure the main reason for its opposition, and instead offers incentives via surcharges, as well as an increase in capital taxation.

The decline to 64 years will also be a privileged target of the deputies of the RN, who will also plead for a revival of family policy.

(Too) long careers

This is one of the points of crystallization: in some cases, employees who started working before the age of 21 will have to contribute 44 years for a full pension, and not 43 years as in the common case by 2027.

The LR group has made the correction of this "injustice" its central demand, which has even become a condition for some of its members to support the reform.

Deputies from the presidential camp would not take a dim view of a gesture from the executive on this point, despite the high financial cost.

The case of women

Another major subject of dispute: the fact that women, more exposed to choppy careers, will have to lengthen their careers more on average than men with the decline in the legal age. Requests will flow from many benches, including the majority, to correct the situation.

The Modem deputies ask that the taking into account of maternity leave allowances in the calculation of pensions, already possible for births after 2012, be extended to previous cases.

Other allies of the macronists, despite a handful of hesitants, the Horizons deputies are asking for increases in the duration of insurance for family caregivers and the facilitation of the redemption of quarterly contributions for internship periods.

The government is precisely proposing, via amendments, to extend this possibility of redemption over time, for the years of internship or study, and to take into account the quarters of apprenticeship in long careers.

Employment of seniors

The measures planned to improve the employment of seniors leave many deputies unsatisfied, including in the presidential camp.

The reform provides for an "index" measuring the employment of seniors in companies with more than 300 employees, accompanied by a financial penalty, but only in the event of non-publication.

The oppositions strongly criticized this absence of constraint, which will make the device useless according to them. An environmental amendment proposes to rename it "salad leaf index".

Elisabeth Borne, however, said that it was possible "to go further", towards possible sanctions. And said she was in favor of a threshold of 50 employees, as requested by many deputies, including Renaissance.

The Modem also pleads for a modulation of certain employers' contributions according to the employment rates of the over 55s.

"Review"

The Modem, Horizons and LR deputies also insist on inserting a "review clause", for a "mid-term" assessment in 2027 of the effects of the reform.