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The pension reform was a campaign promise of President Macron. The aim was to simplify the current system and erase the inequalities it generates.
Created in 1945, the scheme for private employees consists of a basic scheme, managed by the Cnav, the National Old Age Insurance Fund, and a complementary scheme, managed since 2019 by Agirc-Arrco. All employees of private companies are affiliated with it, as well as non-public office holders for their basic scheme. This scheme for private employees is called the " general scheme ".
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It is complicated to talk about retirement in France, because in reality there are several pension plans. In addition to the general scheme which includes 68% of the assets, there is that of civil servants, and finally that of special schemes. The latter correspond to corporations that have signed agreements that are often advantageous, allowing, among other things, early departures or in better conditions.
Among the special schemes, there are those of the RATP, the SNCF or EDF which represent more than 300 000 people and others more confidential such as those of the French Comedy, the Paris Opera or the Bank of France. Plans that are expensive for the state. According to Gerald Darmanin, the Minister of Public Accounts, each year, the state gives the pot 8 billion euros to keep them in balance. And it is to put an end to these special regimes that the executive wants to merge them into a "universal" point system.
Towards a universal regime
So far, the basic pension is calculated by the number of quarters worked. Depending on the year of birth, a certain number of quarters must be accumulated to trigger retirement. We can always do it before, but in this case it is incomplete and therefore weaker.
With the reform, Emmanuel Macron wants a scheme by points where a euro contributes to the same rights for everyone. There is no longer a basic plan, nor a complementary plan, but a virtual account where the contributing asset accumulates points throughout his career. At the exit, its number of points will be converted into a pension by calculating the value of the point which will be the same for all. The government wants to create a single system with the same rules for all workers, regardless of their status. We are talking about a "universal diet".
Quarries with holes less penalized
This reform does not affect the foundation of our inter-generational solidarity system. Contributions remain mandatory and the principle of PAYG pensions is unchanged: assets continue to pay contributions to finance the pensions of current retirees. For the government, the universal plan would give more visibility to assets in the management of their career, and facilitate changes in status.
Quarries with holes would be less penalized because the new system will no longer take into account the contribution period, only the amount of accumulated points will count for the amount of the pension. Thus, everyone has to "choose" between working longer and having a better pension, or leaving earlier with a lower pension. In which case the government will no longer have to set a legal retirement age.
Push the legal age?
For the moment, the age of retirement is set at 62 and Emmanuel Macron has pledged not to change it. But it could not keep its promise because the latest forecasts of the COR, the Pension Guidance Council show that it will miss 10 billion euros in 2022. The report does not provide a return to equilibrium before 2042. Gold the executive wants that in 2025, date of the implementation of the pension reform, the accounts are in equilibrium.
To achieve this, it could, over the next five years, modify certain parameters such as raising the statutory retirement age or increasing the contribution period, which would force the assets to work longer. Hence the anger of the street and many unions who refuse the removal of special schemes and the transition to a pension system points ... Only the CFDT does not object. On the other hand, it categorically rejects a parametric reform that would change the rules of the game before the 2025 systemic reform and strongly criticizes the method used by the government.
Lower pensions, for unions
Overall, the unions doubt the benefits of the future reform, doubts reinforced by a recent study of the Institute of Social Welfare that points weaknesses, especially for parents of large families, but also for mothers who have had problems. quarries with holes, for them the reform would be less-saying.
According to the unions, the new method of calculation will reduce pensions because they will no longer be calculated on the best 25 years but on the whole career, bad years could lower the average. Finally, they believe that long careers and hardships are not considered enough.
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■ Women really better protected by the future system?
The future pension system "will protect women much better ". It is the prime minister, Édouard Philippe, who ensures it. Government side, it is estimated that the reform will reduce inequality: by upgrading the minimum pension, in particular, which will increase from 900 euros in 2020 to 1,000 euros after the reform. But 70% of the beneficiaries are women.
But on the side of the CGT, it is considered instead that " the calculation of rights in a points system, by nature less redistributive, would lead to a sharp decline in women's pensions ". And this, because of their work time lower than that of men and their greater precariousness. Today, 80% of part-time jobs are performed by women, and they are by far the most career disruptions in caring for children.
Their retirement is therefore already lower than that of men: almost 40% difference. A gap that the new system "would aggravate ", according to most unions and family associations. Not to mention other setbacks: on survivor's pensions, in the event of the spouse's death, or on the calculation of family rights.