The publication of the thirty decrees related to the pension reform registered a boost this Friday. The first published decrees referred to retirement age rules and more recently to special diets. Six new ones appeared in the Official Gazette this Friday morning, while the text enters into force within three weeks to the day.
Indexation of the minimum pension in the SMIC
These additional decrees relate in particular to the revaluation of minimum pensions for new retirees, a measure that caused a lot of ink last winter when the government seemed to remain vague about its real scope. Finally, the minimum pension is increased to 100 euros per month for people who retire after September 1. Each year, approximately 200,000 new retirees will benefit from this revaluation, that is, approximately one in four departures, according to the Ministry of Labour, Integration and Full Employment.
Current retirees who receive a small pension will also benefit from a revaluation of these. In your case, there will be about 1.7 million affected but with deferred hours. While some 700,000 beneficiaries of this revaluation will receive a payment this fall, the others will have to wait until spring, but with retroactive effect from September 1, 2023. The Government specifies that some 45,000 farmers “who have retired full time due to disability and/or seniority” will be revalued, now being able to take advantage of the differential guarantee. In addition, the new decrees promulgate the transition from the indexing of the minimum pension to inflation to the SMIC.
Details about the prevention component
Professional burnout is the other great aspect of the latest decrees. This is how the famous Investment Fund was created, which should improve the prevention of exposure to so-called “ergonomic” occupational risk factors, that is, painful postures, mechanical vibrations, and carrying heavy loads. Endowed with one billion euros over five years, it will finance prevention and awareness initiatives on these professional ergonomic risks both in companies and in the different branches affected.
As a result of this investment fund for the prevention of professional burnout, the decrees specify the conditions for improving the professional prevention account (C2P). Specifically, two different reductions are made to the annual thresholds with the passage from 120 to 100 nights for the “night work” risk factor and from 50 to 30 nights for “successive alternate shift work”. As part of this C2P, the number of points acquired by the employee will now increase in proportion to the number of risk factors he is exposed to. In addition, in the event of acquiring 10 points, the holder will be able to benefit from the equivalent of half a day for four months instead of a quarter until now, while one point will feed the personal training account (CPF) up to 500 euros compared to 375 previous euros.
Accrual of employment and retirement and phased retirement
Combining employment and retirement was also one of the main themes of the pension reform, since this practice affects more than half a million retirees. The latter may increase the amount of their pension by creating new pension rights. Under certain conditions, they will be able to request a “second pension” calculated on the basis of the same rules as the first after an accumulation period.
Along the same lines, the rules of the progressive retirement system are already known. Employees at the end of their career will be able to work part-time and benefit from part of their retirement two years before the legal retirement age. However, they will continue to contribute, which will increase the amount of their final pension when they retire completely.
Creation of old age insurance for caregivers
This was one of the requests made known to the government as part of the pension reform. The latest published decrees open up the rights of old-age insurance to new caregivers, specifically to parents of disabled children whose disability rate is less than 80% but who are entitled to the supplement to the disabled child’s education subsidy (AEEH) but also to caregivers of disabled adults who are not living together or who do not have a family relationship “but only a stable and close relationship with the person they care for”, according to the ministry of Olivier Dussopt.
Source: BFM TV
