Hi there everybody,
The French social system was arrange within the aftermath of the Second World Warfare. It’s the work, for probably the most half, of the work of members of the Resistance, from many political tendencies, who shared the disgust for fascism and the horror of wars that it inevitably unleashes. In addition they shared the evaluation in line with which social distress carried fascism and conflict just like the cloud carries the storm, to paraphrase Jean Jaurès.
Their undertaking was subsequently to ensure, for his or her complete life, materials and psychological safety for every youngster in France, in an effort to stop the horrors of the Second World Warfare from ever occurring once more. On the coronary heart of this undertaking, which obtained the assist of the entire Nation, is the Social Safety, with its four branches:
– the household (household allowances)
– previous age (PAYG pension)
– illness (medical health insurance which reimburses medical care, funds public hospitals and pays revenue to staff unable to work on account of sickness)
– unemployment (UNEDIC created later, on the finish of the 1950s).
It’s due to this undertaking that we have now benefited, for many of our existence, from reassuring ensures for our existence., equivalent to, for instance, entry to free well being care, or nearly, the knowledge of getting an revenue throughout our intervals of unemployment, the opportunity of stopping work when our physique can now not take it, whether or not at due to sickness or just previous age.
This social mannequin has identified difficulties throughout the previous a long time, notably due to mass unemployment, however particularly due to political choices which have dried up the sources of financing of the social safety system (due to the well-known “value of labor” in France).
The present authorities makes use of these difficulties to justify the outright destruction of this mannequin, as a result of his political undertaking is a collapse of public spending within the social subject: Article three of the Social Safety financing legislation, for instance, places an finish to the monetary compensation paid (at all times late!) by the State to due to the lack of social contributions attributable to the numerous contribution exemptions (due to the well-known “value of labor” in France).
The present authorities is overtly attacking the pay-as-you-go system, with its plan to reform pensions:
– its factors retirement scheme, a system which has impoverished retirees in Sweden and Germany,
– its opening of a particular “wealthy” scheme (past € 10,000 month-to-month wage, the old-age contribution on every euro touched will probably be divided by 10!), which creates, as well as, a gap of € four.5 billion in contributions in comparison with the present system
– its calculation over an entire profession which validates the casualization of labor and strikes ladies within the first place, whereas considerably decreasing the extent of pensions,
– it accomplishes a sordid sleight of hand by drastically decreasing the pension contributions on the wages that the State pays, with out even growing the online wages, ie it knowingly digs the opening of the pension plan
– it begins the discount in pensions for all retirees by arbitrarily limiting the share of GDP spent on pensions to 14%, whereas the variety of retirees will enhance
– it places all retirees within the uncertainty of their revenue by an annual vote of the Parliament for the worth of the purpose
Sure, however…
Sure, however this French social mannequin, which is the envy of individuals, particularly the poor, around the globe (watch Michael Moore's movies, chat with individuals from the international locations you go to …) is the one who prevented hundreds of thousands of individuals from falling into poverty, particularly throughout their previous age (France is the European nation the place the poverty of individuals over 65 is the bottom).
Sure however, this French social mannequin is the one who restricted the results of the financial melancholy which has persevered within the international locations of the North for the reason that monetary disaster of 2008 (see the social results in our neighboring international locations of the Mediterranean: resumption of emigration of younger individuals to Spain for instance).
Sure however, and it's the largest however, this French social mannequin is the pleasure of the kids of France, who’ve by no means spoken out democratically for its destruction. Nearly all of the inhabitants is viscerally connected to the four branches of social safety. The present offensive towards pensions has no democratic legitimacy, solely 18% of the citizens validated the electoral program of candidate Macron within the first spherical of the presidential election (and I do know that some chew their fingers!) . This minority selection can’t be imposed on all of society.
That is the democratic and social that means of the combat waged by staff, retirees, college students, highschool college students, engaged towards the reform of the pension system since December 5, 2019.
Regardless of the calls for, in lots of types, that we make, with the assist of the vast majority of the inhabitants, the federal government refuses any compromise, any actual negotiation, cynically utilizing a communication coverage that makes the content material of his undertaking extra opaque day-after-day, in addition to enjoying on the deterioration of the state of affairs, by calculating that the strike prices us an excessive amount of to final. So the strikers are fewer, however the anger stays, the dedication to proceed the combat, generally in different types, manifests itself all over the place in France.
This Friday, the pension reform undertaking is offered to the Council of Ministers, illustrating his will to cross in any respect prices, with this anti-social undertaking. This anti-social and anti-democratic obstinacy reaches a paroxysm which turns into insufferable for almost all of kids in France, and can push many citizens in the direction of fascism or its ersatz of the second throughout the elections of 2022. The federal government even plans to undertake its draft by ordinances, the final word stage of legislative authoritarianism in France, which value Charles X his throne in 1830 (sure, a revolution!).
The hour for the final solemn warning has struck, pricey colleague.
That everybody has instant monetary difficulties is comprehensible, it’s clearly rather more tough for probably the most insecure and the least paid amongst us to go on strike, however whether it is potential, now’s the time!
For those who solely should go on strike for someday, let it’s this one! Actively be a part of the motion of those that defend the well-being of the best quantity, towards a handful of billionaires or shareholders who obtain dividends on the work of others.
Friday, actively be a part of the camp of optimism and life, actively be a part of the camp of justice.
It’s a query of dignity, social justice, in fact, but in addition of democracy.
ALL, ALL ON STRIKE FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 TO DEFEND OUR RETIREES AND THE FRENCH SOCIAL SYSTEM!
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