The four leaders of the Regroupement de l’Espoir faced the press this morning. Paul Bérenger and Xavier-Luc Duval devoted most of their intervention to the Social Contribution and Social Benefits Bill, introduced in the nfirst reading in Parliament last Tuesday. The debates are scheduled for this Tuesday.
The various leaders of the Regroupement de l’Espoir have announced that the Labour party will join them in the fight against the Social Contributions and Benefits Bill.
The bill, according to the leaders of the Regroupement de l’Espoir, has several flaws. This is the reason why all the opposition parties have decided to unite. Hence, the Leader of the Opposition announced that a joint meeting will be held this Tuesday at his office at lunchtime. The Labour party will be present. During this meeting, the bill will be discussed.
During his intervention, Paul Bérenger also expressed his satisfaction that the entire opposition will make common cause on this bill.
However, answering a question of the press, the MMM leader recalled that the Labour party “was part of a common front” at one time. This was before, he added, there a “divergence split the agreement”. He said that now, the front has started thinking about the next municipal elections.
Paul Bérenger also said that the self-employed too “have been tricked”
The MMM leader said that this bill, where the CSG is called “social contributions”, will turn the pension system upside down. The worst thing, according to him, is that it is being presented at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a request for judicial review on the subject.
He recalled that on the eve of the last general elections, the government had promised to review the pension to Rs 13,000 by the end of the present term. He added that there were no promises to abolish the National Pensions Fund and that retirement age would be raised to 65. “The government has tricked the small wage earner,” he said.
Paul Bérenger also said that the self-employed too “have been tricked”. “They got Rs 10 000 in March 2021, now they will have to contribute a pension scheme. This was not the case before. Even for civil servants, the government is maintaining that it will pay until further notice. What the government is going to do is to give them the PRB and take that money back,” he added.
For the leader of the MMM, “this bill is a real-time bomb”.
