Paris (AFP)

The secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, again asked on Sunday for the withdrawal of the pivotal age, a measure "unjust" and "useless", and proposed on France 2 "a conference of financing" of the pension system separate from bill in preparation.

He also indicated that the CFDT, which had called for a demonstration on December 17, would decide "Monday" if it will mobilize on Saturday January 11 as the inter-union (FO, CGT, Solidaires, FSU, CFE-CGC) of opponents who request the withdrawal of the project has already planned to do so.

Its organization is favorable to a universal pension scheme by points but does not want a "budgetary" measure.

"We must remove this pivotal age from the project," he insisted.

Is this a prerequisite for any discussion? "Yes", he replied, while a consultation is to be held Tuesday at the Ministry of Labor on the arduousness and the employment of seniors.

The pivotal age at 64, below which it will not be possible to leave with a full-rate retirement, is presented by the government as a way of guaranteeing the financial balance of the system.

"This is a measure that is initially unfair because it will make those who start working young pay more, for the benefit of those who started working later," said Berger. "It is an unnecessary measure and it is not justified," he insisted. A petition will be launched to request the withdrawal, he said.

Asked about a proposal for a "temporary penalty", Mr. Berger replied: "everything is discussed but not in this bill". "If the government puts the pivotal age in this project, it means that it mixes cabbage and carrots," he said.

And Mr. Berger proposed to "continue working on the content of the universal pension system", on "arduousness" and "progressive pre-retirement".

At the same time, on the financial issue, "we are convening a pension financing conference which until the end of July is working on proposals on the balance of the plan in the medium and long term".

He also described as "real problem" and "very special concept of dialogue" the fact that Laurent Pietraszewski, the new government pensioner, closed the door on Sunday to any reinstatement of the four arduousness criteria removed at the start of the quinquennium , one of the requests of the CFDT.

"With the criteria recognized today it is 180,000 people concerned, if we put the other four criteria (handling of heavy loads, painful postures, mechanical vibrations and chemical risks) it is 800,000 people and there it begins to make sense ", he explained.

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