French Senate Passes Sarkozy Bill to Raise Retirement Age to 62

[LongTomH]

Source: Bloomberg

France’s Senate approved President Nicolas Sarkozy’s bill to raise the retirement age by two years as labor unions promised to maintain their protests for an eighth week against the measure.

Lawmakers in the Sarkozy-controlled upper house of Parliament voted 177-153, clearing the way for final passage. A comparable version of the legislation was approved by the National Assembly on Sept. 15. A committee comprising members of both chambers is scheduled to meet Oct. 25 to merge the bills.

“It’s not by looking back at the past that we’ll be able to maintain our social model,” Labor Minister Eric Woerth told senators as the debate closed today. “One day, adversaries will look up to Nicolas Sarkozy’s performance.”

Senate passage of the bill won’t quell opposition to the plan to raise the retirement age to 62 from 60 and the age for a full pension to 67 from 65. Protests have disrupted transport and shut oil refineries, leading to fuel shortages.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-22/french-senate-passes-sarkozy-bill-increasing-retirement-age-to-62-from-60.html

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We haven't heard the last of this. The opposition is already saying: "We will never accept it!" A Socialist senator, Jean-Pierre Bel, is saying: "See you at the next elections!'

[defendandprotect]

1. They're pretty much in the position we in US are in now... no one listening ...!!

[pattmarty]

4. Yeah, except we want to raise the age to fucking 70. When the...........

......."catfood commission" releases their report in Dec you can bet your ass you won't see anyone out in the streets here. The French aren't a bunch of pussies like our press tried to portray them after the US invasion of Iraq. We, the American citizens are the fucking pussies.

[Sherman A1]

6. Precisely

I think the retirement age should be lowered not raised. Let's open up some jobs for those that need them by letting older folks retire earlier.

[pattmarty]

11. Amen to that. The problem in this country now is that there are so............

............many PROBLEMS. I could go on for hours typing until my fingers got calloused.

[Merlot]

33. And just what are all these "older folks" supposed to live on?

Their pensions? oh, that's right, those have been taken away.

The equity in their homes? haha

The value in their 401K? Remember the crash of 2008?

And if they retire at 50 instead of 65, what do they do for health care for the next 15 years? pay for it out of pocket IF someone will insure them?

France has a good social safety net, we don't have that here.

[Sherman A1]

34. Gee,

Did I specify an age? No, I did not.

Did I specify that the Seniors would be left without? No, I did not.


Jump to conclusions Much??????

[Merlot]

36. Doesn't matter what age, here in America there is no safety net

Many people would probably love to retire and free up all those wonderful jobs for the youngsters. But they can't. France has a safety net, they have pensions and healthcare. We don't have that.

Suggesting that older people retire without specifying how they will survive makes me jump to the conclusion that it's not a very well thought out plan.

[Sherman A1]

37. Being close to retirement myself

I understand that there is no safety net, but there are options. SS could be offered at a lower age along with Medicare, it would require some cuts in say Defense spending to do so and perhaps it could be combined with an program of civic involvement (or community service) for those able to do so. Even dropping the early retirement age to 60 from 62 and the full age from 66 to 63 or so could open up many jobs for those needing them.

There is no silver bullet and it might not work for everyone, but if I were offered an early retirement program, I would certainly give it a very hard look.

[newspeak]

35. well, some in their fifties have already lost their decent jobs

and attempting to find a new was is damn hard. Working with lower pay and no benefits isn't making it to those caught between "a rock and a hard place."

[Sherman A1]

38. Precisely

[defendandprotect]

15. True --- and Seniors aren't in any organized -- !! Did you see W Bush comments today?

His biggest regret was that he didn't privatize Social Security!!

[pattmarty]

17. Yep, he REALLY is fucking dumb, isn't he? I am sure the Dems will.....

.......come up with a few campaign ads with that quote.

[Alameda]

2. they did this to us years ago. You cann't retire & get full SS at 65 anymore.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Actually, I can - but I'm right on the cusp. People born just a few months

later than I will not be able to get full retirement until 66.

I think I'm going to shoot for early retirement at 62 - less money, but I should be OK, and retiring at 65 means I'd probably only have 7-8 years to enjoy it before Alzheimers takes me down (both parents diagnosed with Alzheimers, so my odds are not great).

I want to spend my last years staring blankly at a computer screen, not staring blankly out a locked-ward window.

[shanti]

20. i'm planning on taking it early too

but at almost 55, have 7 years to go. however, the early SS money combined with the state pension i will be getting starting in jan. 11, i think i will do ok. not rich, but ok, since i'm single with nobody to provide for me besides myself. i've been employed since the age of 16 and want to be able to enjoy a few relatively healthy years without working for once in my life. i feel very lucky to be able to retire early, and this was planned long ago, but sometimes feel guilty because so many will be forced to work until god knows how long. :(

[reggie the dog]

3. trains are still on strike

high school and university students are still striking
truckers are still striking
gas stations are still dry
ports blocked
rafineries blocked
this vote may lead to sabotage and riots
if looting and burning starts where i live i will be there

[kenny blankenship]

5. Soon we will be hearing from the usual suspects how this justifies cutting our own Social Security

See? Even France is doing it!

[defendandprotect]

16. Agree ... they're taking everyone down together this time ... leaving no one

to save anyone else!!

[Lint Head]

7. Can you say riot? I knew you could.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. They're complaining about retirement at 62? What's wrong with those Frenchies?!

Oh. That's the 'early retirement' age. Full retirement is going from 65 to 67.

WTF is the matter with the media?

[humblebum]

9. it all boils down to too much money flowing OUT to China, et al. and

China, in turn, engaging in mercantilistic-protectionist type trade and a very controlled labor force. Who do you suppose will win that battle?

[Matariki]

12. Interestingly, NPR reported the new retirement age people were protesting was 67

probably don't want get US thinking... or it was an honest mistake.

[pattmarty]

18. I trust NPR and PBS nowadays about as much as I trust CNN.............

........I'll watch the "late" shit on MSNBC some C span and FSTV and LINK for the "news" I want to know about. Although I do watch some Fox just to keep up with their bullshit, but I can only take so much.

[Scruffy1]

31. NPR is a hack news source

[felix_numinous]

13. Between electronic voting machines

and massive demonstrations like this, what other voice do people have? The French too have contested election results from these machines.

I swear an international strike is the only way to go, too late for this year but demand paper ballots in 2012.

[onehandle]

14. Sarkozy is toast. Meanwhile our 'activists' are putting corporate America in charge of Congress.

Idiots.

[defendandprotect]

23. Sarkozy got the job done the elites wanted ... and I'm sure will be well rewarded ...

[Ginto]

19. Can't believe they are talking about raising it when they should be lowering it.

They should lower it as far as 45. Let people enjoy life and be with their families. Let the younger workers take the positions that open up.

[humblebum]

21. Unfortunately, that is not the way the present economic system

sustains itself. Give thanks to globalism for that. Too much money flowing out to countries that use cheap controlled labor and old fashioned protectionism, i.e. China.

[Ginto]

22. True, isolationism has it's merits. nt

[unkachuck]

24. this shit's coming our way....

....the capitalists fuck it up, get paid, and we suffer the consequences....

'A Socialist senator, Jean-Pierre Bel, is saying: "See you at the next elections!"'

....I'm with you, brother....but here, we have a tougher row to hoe; in the United States, even the Socialists are capitalists....

[uppityperson]

25. French Senate passes pension bill

Source: BBC

The French Senate has passed a controversial pension reform bill, which has caused a series of strikes and protests around France. The senators approved President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, and it could become law as early as next week. Mr Sarkozy says the measure is necessary to reduce the deficit. But hundreds of thousands have protested against what they see as an attack on their rights.

Senators passed the motion to raise the retirement age by 177 votes to 153, after the government used a special measure known as a guillotine to cut short the debate on the bill.
(clip)
The unions have called two further days of protests on top of the rolling strikes, on 28 October and 6 November. The union representing students, Unef, has called a separate day of protest for Tuesday 26 October, urging students to demonstrate and hold sit-ins. However, the school half-term holidays begin on Friday night and run until 4 November, raising concerns among union members that the protests could lose momentum.
(clip)
Opponents of the bill will now have a chance to take their objections to the constitutional court, before the bill becomes law.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11610601

[jpak]

26. Isn't this what Mitch McC wants for Social Security?

But isn't Li'l Mitch agin the France thingy too?

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

27. I don't know who Li'l Mitch is.

[Amonester]

28. 70% against it, and a slim majority of that senate just ignored them.

Kind of like when 70% in the U.S. opposed invading Iraq...

Too many deaf pols...

[suffragette]

29. Looks like Sarkozy had to manuever to get this result

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013227205_apeufranceretirementstrikes.html

Friday's vote came after some 140 hours of debate, with senators casting ballots by hand into a large green urn, approving the bill 177-153. The measure is expected to win final approval by both houses of parliament next week.

Sarkozy's conservative government cut short the debate via a constitutional article that accelerates the process - and gives the government final word on which of more than 1,000 amendments will get into the bill. He accused strikers of holding the French and their economy "hostage."

Speaking before the Senate vote, Labor Minister Eric Woerth said the day will come when opponents of the change "will be grateful to the president, to the government and the parliamentary majority for having had the courage to fully assume their responsibilities."

Leftist critics called the move a denial of democracy by an increasingly confrontational president.

"No, you haven't finished with retirement. You haven't finished with the French," said Socialist Sen. Jean-Pierre Bel, alluding to an apparently unflagging determination by unions, now joined by students, to keep protests alive - even through the upcoming week of school holidays.



I added the bold.
So he had to cut short debate and suppress amendments to get it passed on a tight vote.

The part I'm not seeing reported on much is how this is satisfying the agreements made at G8/G20 over the protests and policy demands of the people:http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8769829

It's directly related and clearly ignored in the reporting on this.

[Hosnon]

30. Much easier than levying massive taxes on the uber-wealthy in France.

Although that would have been more just.

[No Elephants]

32. Meanwhile, we pray to keep it below 70--and, in terms of physical labor, I'm guessing

70 is not yet the new 60.