France: Retire Borne!, Macron and Medef*!

We reproduce here, updated following government announcements, the editorial published on 10 January in place nouveaupartianticapitaliste.fr by the left wing of the NPA, organization in which our colleagues from the LIS in France. The general strike with mobilization of the next 19, the march of 21 and the actions that will follow, They will be a decisive fight with Macron's government.

This Tuesday, Prime Minister Borne put the last words in the song of the government and employers that we have already known by heart for months about the future of our pensions. The legal retirement age would be delayed to 64 years and the extension of the duration of the contribution would reach 43 years from 2027. Definitely, an alternative: die at work or in misery. There is only a false suspense: Will the government need to resort to a decree 49,3?

Decree or not: It's NO!

No, retirement funds do not have a deficit. They had a surplus of 2.600 million euros in 2021 and of 3.700 million euros in 2022. No, nothing guarantees that they will take it into account 2032, because our collective struggles could reverse the trend of state policy, that saves so much in all the salaries of the state and health that it deepens the deficit of the funds. And not, even a deficit announced for 2032 from 17.000 millions, would not be “abysmal”, because it would represent only the 5% of a global budget of 330.000 millions for retirement funds. Increasing salaries 5%, this would be covered automatically!

Why so many lies and cruelty for decades?

Raising the legal retirement age means increasing “elderly unemployment”, who will have fewer and fewer rights, will be poor and will receive a reduced pension, if the difficulties of their life have not killed them before. Increasing the years of contributions necessary for a complete salary means reducing the retirement of those, Nevertheless, they retire at the legal age. This aims to reduce the expense of retirement funds, while allowing private pension funds to drain the savings of those with salaries sufficient to save. It is a way to reduce the participation of the working class in national income, mechanically increasing that of the bourgeoisie by the same amount. So when Ciotti, the head of the Republicans, announces that he wants to help “attenuate the brutality of the reform”, there are reasons to worry!

Worry can change sides!!

The “reform” was to be announced in mid-December, much later than expected: refinery strikes in September altered the government calendar. Then another postponement to this Tuesday 10 from January, to present the bill to the Council of Ministers on 23, so that Borne can gain the support of the right and avoid the 49.3 decree… perhaps! So many delays are above all symptomatic of government fever, who knows that not only is his bill very unpopular, but currently it does not have the support of any union organization... and that social discontent against inflation and starvation wages is already so high that everything could go up in flames. According to an Ifop survey of 4 from January, he 52% of those surveyed want there to be a social explosion in France in the coming months!

So let's fan the fire everywhere, in our places of work and study, let's discuss the need for a unified movement, a fight plan to win, without any of our forces being dispersed by the divisionist logic of the union leaderships. Let us participate in all the mobilization initiatives that will be carried out, in particular the interprofessional strike of the 19 January called by all the unions and the demonstration of the 21 January in Paris convened by youth organizations. Let's unite in general assemblies, let's join those who are on strike for better wages or jobs. Wages, retirements, working conditions, it has to explode, It can't last any longer!

* Medef, French Business Movement, main employer entity.