French Senate Oks Pension Reform Bill
In order to claim a full pension under the Senate
bill, both public and private sectors workers must
contribute for 40 years as of 2008, according to an IPE
report. This will increase to 41 years in 2012 and to
42 years in 2020, depending on demographic, economic
and social changes.
The Senate also began
talks about the 453 amendments agreed by French
ministers earlier this month. The Senate will continue
final decisions about the pensions bill over the course
of this week.
The proposal of bringing
in line public and private sector contribution periods
has been the subject of intense debate between the
social partners and the political parties. While the
central party, UMP, voted in favor of the proposal, the
parties of the left were strongly opposed. President of
the communist, republic and citizen’s party, Nicole
Borvo, argued that unemployment was already a problem,
without keeping people in work and therefore further
blocking entry to the workplace for the young.
A final version of the
pensions bill is expected before September.