Difficulty: what the pension reform provides if your job is difficult

According to Olivier Dussopt, the government's pension reform provides for certain exceptions, depending on the difficulty of the work.

According to INRS , arduous work designates 3 health risk factors. Thus, marked physical contact (carrying weight, handling, uncomfortable postures) may indicate a very demanding profession . It can also be an aggressive work environment (chemicals, extreme temperatures, noise, etc.). Finally, difficult work rhythms (night shifts, repetitive tasks, etc.) also represent a hardship factor . Or, as part of the pension reform , these professions should be given special treatment. Particularly with regard to the legal retirement age .

What is hard work?

In 2019, Macron shocked part of public opinion, with one of those little phrases of which he has the secret .
'Me, I don't like the word 'difficult', because it gives the feeling that the work is difficult.'

Nevertheless, the recognition of certain trades, as more difficult than others, is nothing new. It is good to a phenomenon documented and provided for in the labor code . We are talking about several risk factors, which can be combined . Most often, they correspond to very specific working conditions. These may be people working at night, or in staggered hours. But it can also correspond to tasks requiring the carrying of heavy loads or aggressive products used in a professional setting.

Hardship at work is monitored throughout the career . Since 2015, the professional prevention account (C2P) has made it possible to declare risk factors. L The employer must also declare the hardship points themselves . The system was able to concern 764,000 employees in 2019. This system allows them to accumulate points, with a view to early retirement (two years). But for now, only 2,200 people were able to benefit from it and take advantage of their points to stop working.

Harshness: what the government plans

For the time being, the Ministry of Labor would like to condition the consideration of hardship to a medical examination. A shared opinion by Éric Chevée, from the CPME . 'Without this medical opinion, the exercise of certain trades would entail automatically the right to a pension This would be very costly and we would recreate special diets. » Indeed, the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises estimates that the arduousness should lead to reinforced medical monitoring for employees. “In the event of professional wear and tear affecting health, early departure would be possible. »

For now, early departures can only be made from the age of 60 , for disabled employees. And this, in the event that their state of health has a professional cause. But in 2017, only 2500 people in permanent capacity (according to social Security ) were able to take advantage of this device.

The unions are stepping up

On the side of the CFDT , discussions around the arduous nature of the work look stormy. Indeed, according to the trade union organization, the government has already excluded several criteria from the C2P system in 2017. Result? Few people can qualify for advantages related to the arduous nature of the jobs .
'The CFDT calls for better recognition and compensation for hardship. For this, it claims the reintegration of the 4 factors excluded from the C3P transformed into C2P in 2017 (painful postures, manual handling of loads, mechanical vibrations, exposure to dangerous chemical agents). These 4 factors are responsible for the overwhelming majority of occupational diseases: 95% of recognized occupational diseases in 2019! Without this, there can be no social justice! »

Finally, the CFDT also wishes that taking into account the hardship be generalized to cover more professions.
“This CFDT claim would result in making masons eligible for C2P. Tilers and tilers, home helpers, nursing assistants and nursing assistants. Cashiers and certain supermarket staff, new categories of employees in the agri-food industry, certain workers in the metal industry, etc. The recognition of hardship, thanks to the obtaining of points via the C2P, makes it possible to go on training. To convert to a less arduous job, to benefit from part-time work without loss of salary or to retire earlier. The CFDT demands its extension to workers in public services, civil servants (excluding active categories) and contract workers. We also propose to the Government to remove the ceiling from the C2P in order to facilitate the use of the hardship points acquired to promote training with a view to retraining. »

Hardship and pension reform: the debates risk getting stuck

The government, just like the employers , wants risks at work to be managed individually. Exposure to factors of arduousness would then give the right to reparations adapted to the course of each one. But on the side of the unions, we expect more prevention, and collective devices .

More the Minister of Labor remains confident on the opinion of the French , facing the pension reform incoming. “The French are more reasonable than some trade union and political leaders. Don't take people for fools. The French understand perfectly what we have to do. »

For the time being, we do not yet know the changes contained in the bill that Elisabeth Borne will present next Tuesday . But Olivier Dussopt had already made several revelations about taking into account the hardship for the right to retirement. ' There will always be a repair mechanism, we will talk about it in future discussions with the social partners. » The goal? “Make it easier to earn points on C2P. »

If you think that the arduousness of a job must be seriously monitored , do not miss the presentation of the pension reform, scheduled for January 10. The head of government will thus have the opportunity to give all the details of this new text . Nevertheless, an electric atmosphere is to be expected in the hemicycle. Indeed, among the social partners, among the elected representatives of the opposition, as in the streets, the government encounters a wave of disagreements . He will however have to convince, in order to have this new pension reform adopted. Unless the executive branch has recourse to article 49.3 to move forward on this measure long awaited.

Source : West France