The Social Affairs Commission refuses that the bill repealing retirement at age 64 be discussed in Parliament

2023-06-01 23:00:00

The Social Affairs Commission yesterday examined the LIOT group’s bill repealing the pension reform. In a heated atmosphere, the parliamentarians finally voted for a text completely emptied of its substance. The opposition denounces the connivance of the LR group with the presidential minority and a breach of the regulations of the National Assembly.

On May 30, the chairman of the Finance Committee, Éric Coquerel, gave the green light for the LIOT group’s proposal to be examined by Parliament. On May 31, at the start of the session to examine the text in the Social Affairs Commission, President Fadila Khattabi (Renaissance), announced the color: ” the decision of the Chairman of the Finance Committee does not seem to me to be justified ».

The presidential minority manages to set aside the repeal

Article 1 of the bill was the very essence of the initiative of the LIOT group. It provided for the repeal of the postponement of the legal retirement age. It was defeated by 38 votes to 34 (out of 73 voters). Opponents of the text invoked budgetary reasons to justify their deletion amendment.

Indeed, article 40 of the Constitution envisages the inadmissibility of bills the adoption of which would lead to the aggravation of a public charge. MPs supporting the pension reform, such as Sylvain Maillard (Renaissance) argued that “the expenses induced by article 1 amounted to 18 billion euros ».

Nevertheless, several opposition parliamentarians, including Boris Vallaud (PS), recalled that there was a practice “which is that of admitting the admissibility until the vote of the proposals of laws, even if they create charges ».

« I myself was the rapporteur for a text on the thermal renovation of buildings which provided for 538 billion euros in expenditure over 30 years “, specified the elected socialist.

Deputy Charles de Courson (LIOT), rapporteur of the bill, meanwhile stressed that the additional cost of 18 billion was only a government estimate. Its text also proposed to organize a financing conference to agree on the balance of social accounts once the provisions related to age are repealed.

In the end, this suggestion did not convince the entire Commission. Yet only three out of six parliamentary groups were officially opposed to the bill, so how did the deletion amendments pass with a majority?

Changes in the composition of the Commission and refusal to consider amendments

After the vote on the first article, several parliamentarians rose up against the “maneuversof the presidential minority.

First, MP Thomas Ménagé (RN) openly pointed out the actions “in catiminifrom the LR group. According to him, the group president dismissed from the Social Affairs Commission the deputies who voted for the motion of censure tabled by the LIOT group last April.

Then, the NUPES stepped up when the president refused to examine the 1000 sub-amendments tabled by their group. In reaction to what she considers “like crossing a red line“Sandrine Rousseau invited her group to leave the room, adding:”our role as parliamentarians no longer serves any purpose and we are leaving ».

Before getting up from her seat, MP Mathilde Panot still ventured to make a prediction: “when we try with the LIOT group to reintroduce article 1 during the examination of the text in the Assembly, the president will activate article 40 and declare the amendment inadmissible, we know that».

The bill will be examined in the National Assembly on June 8.