The Senate finally did not adopt, on the night of Tuesday March 7 to Wednesday March 8, the pivotal article of the pension reform project raising the retirement age to 64, after a tense session.
In addition to the gradual decline in the legal retirement age, this article 7 of the bill provides for the acceleration of the extension of the contribution period provided for by the Touraine reform of 2014, crystallizing criticism from the unions and the left.
The right initially used an article of the internal regulations to cut short the debate, before adopting an amendment to "rewrite" this article 7 which eliminated the majority of the amendments from the left. The "closing of the debates", provided for by article 38 of the rules, was proposed by the president of the Les Républicains group Bruno Retailleau on a first series of amendments aimed at the deletion of article 7 carried by the left. It was voted on by a show of hands.
This is the first time that article 38 of the rules of the Senate has been used since its revision in 2015. It can apply to speaking on an article, explanations of vote on an amendment or on an article, or even explanations vote on an entire text.
"Act of Weakness"
“This recourse to this procedure is an act of weakness on the part of the senatorial right”, reacted the president of the majority communist CRCE group Eliane Assassi, denouncing “a coup de force”, “an attack against democracy and the rights of Parliament". "It's not worthy of the Senate," she asserted. "Shame on you", "It's a scandal", added the leader of the socialist senators Patrick Kanner. "A historic day of mobilization, on article 7, the most important, you decide to gag Parliament, to censure the Senate", further accused the president of the environmental group Guillaume Gontard.
"It's been five days and five nights that we have been dealing with an obstruction", pleaded for his part Bruno Retailleau, for whom "the obstruction is to Parliament what desertion is to a soldier". "We had 124 interventions on this article as it stands, I consider that the requirements of clarity and sincerity have been met," said Senate President Gérard Larcher (LR). The Senate immediately rejected some 70 amendments tabled by the left asking for the deletion of Article 7.
After three adjournments, the Senate then voted at 3:30 a.m., in the absence of the three left-wing groups, on an amendment to "rewrite" this article proposed by the rapporteur LR René-Paul Savary, who did not does not change the background. But its adoption "dropped" more than 1,100 amendments. "We will have a rich debate on this article 7," assured Mr. Savary, 75 amendments remaining to be examined.
The left did try to counterattack by presenting a thick wad of subamendments, which were declared "inadmissible". "I'm the one presiding!" “, must have thundered Mr. Larcher to interrupt the bronca of the left who shouted “DIY”.
More than 1,300 amendments had been tabled
Earlier in the evening, the examination of the article had already begun in a turbulent atmosphere. Exceptionally in the Senate, the Communists marked this crucial stage in the debate by brandishing in the hemicycle signs bearing the inscription: "Retirement at 64: withdrawal". "We are there, at the heart of your bill declared inadmissible by our people, ”launched Cathy Apourceau-Poly for the CRCE group.
"Here we are, here we are", welcomed the rapporteur LR René-Paul Savary, while the president of the social affairs committee, Catherine Deroche (LR), was angry with the left: "I don't am a bit fed up with these comments here, saying “but what do you know about work” (...) What do you know about our origins? »
Article 7 is the flagship measure of the amended Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSSR) examined at first reading by the senators, and which could not be addressed by the deputies.
In the National Assembly, the debates had been greatly slowed down by the thousands of amendments tabled in particular by the elected representatives of La France insoumise (LFI). The party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon has no elected to the Senate.
According to the government's plan, the legal retirement age must be gradually raised from 62 to 64, at the rate of 3 months per year from September 1, 2023 until 2030. In addition, to obtain a pension “ at full rate" (without discount), the required contribution period will increase from the current 42 years (168 quarters) to 43 years (172 quarters) by 2027, at the rate of one quarter per year.
Predicting long and lively debates, more than 1,300 amendments had been tabled on this article, on which the left wants a vote, to "enlighten" the French. By Sunday midnight, the right-wing senatorial majority, in favor of the reform, aims to go to the end of the text and the final vote.
"You are in the minority tonight"
Before embarking on the examination of article 7, the senators adopted by 236 votes against 103 the first part "revenues" of the bill, "a crucial step", welcomed the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal .
The entire afternoon discussion, once again almost exclusively led by the left, echoed the significant mobilization in the streets against the reform. Senators on the left hailed one after the other the demonstrations organized in their constituency. "The villages, rural areas too, are mobilizing," said the president of the environmental group, Guillaume Gontard. "You are in the minority tonight. You will have to respond to what has just been expressed strongly in the street, "said the communist Fabien Gay.
