previous reforms marked by tensions
Through Dinah Cohen Published 3 hours ago, Update 3 hours ago Demonstration against the “Juppé…
previous reforms marked by tensions
Demonstration against the “Juppé plan” which calls into question the social welfare system, in Caen, on December 10, 1995. MYCHELE DANIAU/AFP
STORY – From 1995 to today, attempts to reform pensions have often given rise to strong social mobilizations.
From the memory of parliamentarians, the subject of pension reform has always been the most explosive. Because it is particularly technical, but also deeply human, as it touches the lives of the French people. Even today, the magic formula for a text like this to pass without a hitch has not been found.
Some insist on the absolute need for education, others warn about the issue of social justice. Others still play on temporality: the faster a reform arrives in a mandate, the better it will pass with the population. This is the fruit of the lessons learned over the past few years, during which it was difficult to tackle this ambitious project without generating strong tensions.
A massive movement in 1995
The most striking example dates back to 1995. Elected in May on the theme of the “social fracture”, Jacques Chirac activates his government without waiting. The “Juppé plan” – named after the prime minister at the time – was announced on 15 November. It’s not about…
