- The National Assembly continues to examine, in public session, the pension reform project. Discussions have so far resulted in only the first of 65 articles being adopted.
- Among the changes made by the government is an amendment tabled on Monday relating to the "Italian clause".
- It aims to organize the rules for calculating pensions for workers who have contributed both to the current pension scheme and to the future "universal" system.
The review of the pension reform continues. While the threat of a 49-3 has become clearer in recent days, discussions have only resulted in the adoption of the first of 65 articles in the bill. Among the adjustments made by the government, there is an amendment tabled on Monday, that on the transition "to the Italian" It is the outcome of the last consultations of Edouard Philippe with the social partners, before the examination in the Hemicycle .
On February 13, the Prime Minister had indeed formalized this “Italian” transition to the new pension system. An important announcement, since it concerns the way in which the pensions of French people contributing to the two systems will be calculated.
If we speak of an "Italian clause", it is because the executive resumes the method that the Italian government adopted in 1995 to reform its pension system. An overhaul that provided for a long transition phase between old and new retirement age rules and the calculation of pensions. As some assets straddle the two systems, it was then planned in the peninsula that a mixed system would apply, as explained in December by the daily Liberation .
A more favorable "Italian clause"
But what does it mean in concrete terms? With the universal system which will come into force in France, workers born from 1975 will contribute from January 1, 2025 to the new system. But their rights acquired before 2025 will be calculated according to the old rules. For civil servants, the rights acquired on January 1, 2025 will be fully accounted for and converted into points, based on the last six months of their career (we will have to wait for their retirement to find out the corresponding amount), announced the head of government. Same for employees in the private sector. They will maintain the reference to the best 25 years over their entire career (again, it will be necessary to wait for retirement to know the amount) for the calculation of their rights acquired until that same date.
This will give rise to two different ways of converting contributions into pensions - those before and after 2025 - which will accumulate. The application of a “grandfather” clause would have consisted in applying the reform only to new entrants to the labor market from 2025, for example.
The principle of the “Italian” clause was already in the Delevoye report, but in a less favorable version. Last July, it was recommended "a photograph" of rights to 2025 taking into account the maximum levels of wages reached at that time and not at the end of the career. A method that the government has given up. Edouard Philippe recently argued "a system more respectful of the reality of careers" and "a very gradual transition", which he generalizes to almost the majority of working people, by including employees in the private sector as well as civil servants .
A guarantee to limit breakage
Indeed, so far, only RATP agents and railway workers have obtained guarantees of this type, announced at the end of December. "It is very advantageous," confirms Didier Mathis, secretary general of Unsa-Rail. In particular because it allows, according to him, to limit the risk of losing too many rights after entering the new system. And for good reason, the principle of the government reform is to calculate the retirement on the basis of points acquired throughout the career, by removing any reference to the last six months for civil servants and the best 25 years for private sector employees . “It's mathematical. When we went from the best 10 to the 25 best years [with the Balladur reform of 1993], some lost 25% of their retirement level, "argues the trade unionist.
The application of the "Italian" clause was also demanded by civil servant unions and was obtained in December. "This claim makes it possible to preserve the rights actually acquired in compliance with the rules of the current pension plan", explained in January the CFDT Civil Service.
The principle has been extended to employees in the private sector for consistency: "we cannot apply these rules to the public sector without extending them to employees in the private sector", remarks Frédéric Sève, national secretary in charge of pensions for the CFDT. He also confirms that the formula is "a priori" advantageous, since most careers end with higher wages.
Discontent that can last
For Philippe Crevel, director of the Cercle de l'Epargne, the wish of certain unions to see an “Italian clause” applied reflects a feeling of “distrust” with regard to the reform. “The social partners wanted to have the strongest guarantees. This is an important lock, ”he deciphers. "This may be the real failure of the government: not having succeeded in combating the idea that the points system will necessarily be penalizing for the active," said this specialist.
But if the Italian clause should clear the ground, it will not put an end to long-term dissatisfaction. According to Philippe Crevel, the challenge to the system can indeed last as long as the two systems coexist. Because the active could have the possibility of comparing them… for decades, until the time when the old pension scheme will eventually die out.
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