The Senate with a right-wing majority rejected Thursday evening, July 28, as part of the purchasing power bill, an amendment brought by the group Les Républicains aimed at reducing the planned revaluation of the Active Solidarity Income (RSA).
This is a major setback for the president of the LR group in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau. His amendment was rejected by 143 votes in favor and 185 votes against. The centrists notably voted against.
It aimed to lower the anticipated revaluation of the RSA to 3.5%, against 4% provided for in the text voted by the deputies. Are particularly concerned by the revaluation of 4%, in addition to pensions, family allowances and social minima, such as the RSA, the Disabled Adult Allowance (AAH) and student grants based on social criteria.
3.5% corresponds to the rate of revaluation of the index point for civil servants. For LR senators, “there is no need to upgrade” RSA “at a rate higher than that of people exercising a professional activity”.
Left and center, the common front
The Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt strongly opposed this differentiation of revaluation rates, stressing that“there is a symbolic force in not treating the most damaged of our fellow citizens in the same way as the others”. The left, joined by the centrists, rose up against the LR proposal.
“We are touching indecency”exclaimed Pierre Laurent (CRCE with a communist majority). “Particularly shocked”the socialist Corinne Féret asked “how can one live” with 575 euros for one person. “When you have so little, 3 euros (difference between the two revaluation rates) is important”she pointed out. “These people are busy, they are busy surviving”argued the ecologist Raymonde Poncet Monge.
“No to differentiation, because our society is very fractured”also declared the centrist Olivier Henno. “If we send this message, we are not bringing French society together but we are increasing the divide”, he added. Laurent Duplomb (LR) defended and then withdrew an amendment proposing not to include the RSA in the revaluations.
“I may be politically incorrect, but I can tell you that there are plenty of French people who work and who are fed up with this situation”he launched.