CGT calls on government to end "war on older people"

At the end of December, the social partners began negotiations on the employment of older workers at the request of the government, which has made the approval of unemployment insurance contingent on the outcome of these new discussions. The goal is to reach an agreement by the end of March.

"These are very important negotiations for the CGT," the CGT secretary general told a press conference.

"We demand an end to this war against the elderly. Today we are in a situation where the elderly are being triply punished," she continued, noting that they will have to work "two years longer" under the pension reform, adding that they are the first victims of redundancy plans and that "the government is announcing new failures in terms of unemployment rights for the elderly."

The CGT has put forward 30 proposals, including the introduction of a "part-time end-of-career scheme with no loss of pay and 100 percent contributions" from the age of 55.

Older workers could also get "additional paid leave" if they are subject to "at least one hardship criterion": "10 (extra) days from age 50, 15 days from age 55, 20 days from age 60."

The CGT also wants "employee representative bodies, such as the CSE, to be able to check that older workers are not discriminated against in hiring."

It also needs to "discourage the dismissal of older workers", for example by requiring the company to "pay the social security contributions that would normally be due until the statutory retirement age" if a worker over 50 is dismissed.

To promote employment, the CGT also proposes to "allocate 10% of annual working time to training" for all workers, while increasing the training budget.

Negotiations between the social partners also focus on compensation for the unemployed elderly, the creation of a universal time savings account (Cetu), vocational transition and retraining, and occupational attrition.