New Government action at the margin are not excluded

The senators are notified. Time to initiate the review of the pension reform, from tomorrow, and for ten days (the vote is expected October 15), they will have to deal with a popular challenge, that the extent of equal than consistency. Saturday, for the third time in less than a month, very large processions parade in the France against a reform "unfair". With the key, a new war of figures: 3 million people according to the CGT as on September 23, against 899.000 according to the police, or 10 less than ten days previously.

Qualitative analysis is however more illuminating than the quantitative. Building on a Saturday, the unions have, it seems, succeeded their bet to drain a new audience. Everywhere, it paraded in family and the proportion of women employees in the private sector (a fortiori TPE and SMEs) and young people has progressed, giving challenge staining more "social" and less "Union", many activists in having benefited, them to blow. In processions, many claimed scroll for the first time for several years, if not their lives. Bernard Thibault (CGT) sees it as "the evidence that the area of popular discontent growing." The political opposition also took to redouble efforts in its criticism. Martine Aubry widely displayed at the start of the Parisian procession, where were present all leftist leaders. The first Secretary of the PS said that this "unjust" and "inefficient" reform "breaks all collective safeguards" and as such "concentrate of Sarkozy's policy".

The day will be especially confirmed the status quo in the arms of iron. Some paraded though already late after noon, the Government, noted that "there no amplification of the movement" and repeated his inflexibility on the passages to 62 and 67 years of age posts. "Cannot change it if you want to continue to pay the retirement of persons", summarized the Labour Minister, Eric Woerth.

Advanced "secondary".

All eyes are now turning to the senators. Last week, in Committee and in agreement with the Government, they have adopted amendments easing the weight of the reform for disabled workers, the unemployed and the victims of asbestos ("Les Echos" from September 30). A gesture is also planned for the mothers of three children in debates. As he explains in the "voices" (read page 2), the UMP President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, supports a "transitional" for those device "born between 1950 and the beginning of the 1960s"- and have ceased work for raising their children continue to benefit from a pension in full at age 65. Approximately 100,000 women per year would be affected, those born until 1963. The measure could be financed by the cap of the tax exemption of bonuses pension of 10 for the parents of three children.

"It reflects on devices that would help those who are most affected by these inequalities of career, as the mothers of large families, explained yesterday, the Prime Minister François Fillon on M6.". One of the difficulties is that the European Union forbids us to distinguish between men and women. "It must be that there is a system and we are working there."

Other already announced measures should be adopted in plenary, on equal pay including. But these advances are considered very "s econdaires" by the unions.

In this context, the Senators of the opposition promise "total war" and the Executive urges UMP troops meet "balancing General and financial reform." Gérard Larcher and the patron of the Senate UMP Gérard Longuet, are intended to be firm on this red line. "When we seek advantages, we will seek counterparties," warned the second. But some senators might be tempted to go further, on the hardship or starting at age 65 for women in the first place. By then based on the possible support of centrist senators, without which the UMP does not the absolute majority in the upper House. New Government action, at the margin, are not excluded. They should not be disclosed in the immediate future, the Executive wishing to keep the cartridge in reserve before next mobilization, on 12 October.

The Government on lesechos.fr/dossierlesechos.fr/dossier project