The VAR of French politics spoke and agreed with the Government of Emmanuel Macron. He Constitutional Council ha validated this Friday afternoon most of the pension reform, including the unpopular increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years (with 43 years contributing to receive a full pension). The French equivalent of the Constitutional Court censored some articles, of a more social nature, but it does not retouch the text in its essentials. This decision put an end to the uncertainty that he had planned in recent weeks regarding the ruling on a measure contested by massive union demonstrations in the last three months.
The suspense over the verdict of the Constitutional Court was not due to the unpopularity of the measure or its content, but rather the way in which it had been prepared and approved. The Macronist Executive resorted to multiple legal mechanisms to reduce the time for parliamentary debates and catch the unions on the wrong foot. Instead of a traditional law, he formulated it as a Social Security amending budget, which limited debates in the National Assembly and the Senate to a maximum of 50 days. The Government also used a constitutional article to reduce the ability of senators to present amendments. And in the end he approved it through a controversial decree, without a parliamentary vote a posteriori.
The accumulation of these decisions fed the hopes of the detractors of the text that the sages (wise men) censored the reform, considering that the “sincerity of the debates” had not been respected. Some expectations, finally, frustrated. Constitutional sources explained to the media, including EL PERIÓDICO DE CATALUNYA, that the “combination of these mechanisms is unusual& rdquor ;, but this did not mean that the conditions of the parliamentary discussions “were not held in accordance with the constitutional framework & rdquor ;.
Few tweaks and in social aspects
On the other hand, the Constitutional Court did censure six articles of the reform, branded as “social infiltrators & rdquor;. He withdrew them on the understanding that they could not be approved within the framework of a Social Security amending budget, with the aim of including only budgetary measures. Among the censored parts, there is a mechanism that should force large and medium-sized companies to be more transparent about their employees over 55 years of age —a measure aimed at combating high unemployment in this sector of the population—, a special employment contract for these same categories or an improvement in the conditions for police officers to retire early.
Few decisions of the Council had generated so much media expectation in the history of the Fifth Republic. The white smoke It was, without a doubt, a jug of cold water for the unions, as well as almost 70% of the French opposed to the increase in the legal retirement age, according to the latest polls. In addition, this body, made up of a mixture of veteran magistrates and politicians, invalidated the request to organize a referendum about the text. He made this decision on the understanding that the fact of voting for a law that maintains the retirement age at 62 years does not imply a significant legislative change. Anticipating this possible decision, left-wing parties presented a second referendum proposal, which the Council must examine in the coming weeks.
The pension reform “comes out even more violent and brutall” After the Constitutional decision, lamented Sophie Binet, the new general secretary of the CGT, who replaced Philippe Martinez at the end of March at the head of one of the main unions in France. “We ask the president to recover his sagacity. (& mldr;) If he does not withdraw the text, he will not be able to reform the country & rdquor ;, she warned. After the sentence, the unitary trade union coalition advised Macron not to validate the measure. A very unlikely hypothesis. His enforcement decree could be signed next week or even this weekend. The entry into forceprogressive, is planned for the September 1st.
A Pyrrhic victory for Macron?
“With the Constitutional or without it, we don’t want your law!” chanted hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Paris City Hall. An hour and a half after the announcement of the decision, they started a spontaneous protest in that area, not far from the Council headquarters, located opposite the Louvre Museum. Riot officers quickly charged at the demonstrators, who containers burned garbage in the middle of the street. Demonstrations of this style were reproduced in other locations, such as Lyon, Strasbourg or Lille. A similar reaction had already occurred after the approval of the reform with the ‘decree’, leading to a night of riots.
🔴 Charge des CRS to try to disperse a group of protesters in cortège sauvage dans Paris. pic.twitter.com/auOaGKva2Q
—Clement Lanot (@ClementLanot) April 14, 2023
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“Keep my goal, this is my motto & rdquor ;, Macron said this Friday morning. Some statements made during a visit to the works of Notre Dame, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the fire, but with an obvious implicit meaning. After having refused to meet with the union leaders during the pulse for pensions, the president invited them to the Élysée next week. But they replied that they do not want a meeting until after May 1. After a few last less massive demonstrations, they hope to get muscle again on Labor Day. And thus show that the indignation that allowed them to lead the most massive wave of protests in the 21st century in the bustling neighboring country did not abate.
The sentence of this Friday confirms the scenario that was foreshadowed in recent weeks. The push for pensions ends with a political victory for Macron, but rather pyrrhic and that sank his popularity to the lowest levels since the revolt of the yellow vests. Instead, the unions must console themselves with having won the ideological and opinion battle. The future will decide which of these two triumphs is more relevant.