The government hopes that the social partners will be able to reach an agreement on the subject of the employment of seniors “by the end of the year”, indicated Tuesday the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, ensuring that he wanted to give them “a great latitude”. “Beyond the question of pensions, which we can consider that the reform must be implemented but which is now behind us in terms of vote and examination, there is the need to move forward on the work seniors,” said the minister during a press conference.
The Constitutional Council had censured the provisions of the reform on this aspect, the “CDI seniors” and the “senior index”. The Minister recalled that since then, the executive has proposed to the social partners that this issue be “priority” and be the subject of the opening of negotiations with a view to a national interprofessional agreement (ANI).
He highlighted “great latitude” given to the social partners, indicating that the orientation document could be “extremely open and not at all ‘corseting’”. “Our objective is to give a lot of leeway so that, we hope – but it’s complicated to set a limit very early -, by the end of the year, there can be an agreement” has he insisted. Olivier Dussopt recalled that a bill is “planned for the start of 2024 with the main purpose of being a tool for transposing the ANI”, including that on seniors if it succeeds.
In addition to the index, which he defended as a “useful” measure, the Minister cited, among the possible subjects for discussion, the issues of working conditions, career development, prevention of attrition, access to the training of employees over 50 or in professional transition. “We would like all the fields to be approached by the social partners. Are they ready for it? It’s difficult to speak for them, but everyone agreed that the issue of employment for seniors was crucial and that there was a possible field of discussion,” he said. Asked about the employers’ request to exempt seniors from unemployment insurance contributions, the minister said he was “not convinced” that this was the best tool, pointing to a risk of “windfall effect”.
