Paris (AFP)
The Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet said Saturday "regret" the continuation of the mobilization of lawyers against the pension reform decided the day before and asked them to suspend this movement by insisting on dialogue.
Friday evening, the National Bar Council (CNB), which represents the 70,000 French lawyers, voted in a general assembly and unanimously the continuation of the mobilization started on January 6, despite the government's proposals.
In a statement, the Keeper of the Seals said it wished "now to suspend the strike movement by lawyers in the courts".
According to her, "the continuation of this movement contributes to degrading the functioning of the public service of justice to the detriment of litigants and to straining relations between lawyers, on the one hand, and magistrates and clerks, on the other hand ( ...). "
Nicole Belloubet calls for "the responsibility of each lawyer within his bar (...)".
She recalled the "three commitments of the government": "no reduction in pensions"; "no doubling of contributions, nor even a brutal increase" while stressing that "the government has indicated that it is ready to accept other scenarios further smoothing this increase"; and finally the "maintenance of the lawyers' pension fund (retirement and providence, Editor's note) which will remain the sole contact for the profession".
The lawyers demanded Friday that the government "provide a reliable simulator allowing them to verify the accuracy of the projections". They also said they were ready to "respond to the government's invitation to examine possible adjustments to the scenarios for integration into the universal system".
Nicole Belloubet said on Saturday that "the government takes note of the fact that the National Council of Bars agrees to discuss" these arrangements and "the conditions of exercise of the profession, in particular to support the entry of young people into the profession and those who defend the less affluent litigants ".
The lawyers, who contribute for their retirement to an autonomous fund, are standing against the reform project which provides, according to the CNB, to double the pension contributions (from 14 to 28%) for lawyers earning less than 40,000 euros per year , and pensions, currently at least 1,400 euros net, would drop to 1,000 euros.
Since January 6, lawyers have asked for adjournments of the hearing, made zealous strikes by pleading for hours or even multiplied the requests for release.
© 2020 AFP