The demonstration of last Sunday showed the retirement reform is unpopular. To this extend it is possible to say that the culture of work is very different to France than with many other developed countries. Retirement is an issue that fosters a lot of controversies to this extend, and it is linked to the vision of work in general.
The French system is very turned to a system of retirement linked to the state : contrary to Germany for instance, the individuals don’t save to the retirement, but the state provides a framework that can help to ensure most people can benefit from retirement pensions. To this extend it is necessary to finance the retirement system through work. In my opinion it is necessary to work more, but precarious and difficult jobs must have to be protected. To this extend it is not the same, in my opinion, to work more for a bureaucrat that work a worker in the building area : the second category is a lot more tired at 50, and is a lot more fragile. To this extend the more privileged by the system should work more, as well as the middle class, but the most difficult job conditions should be more helped : however it is not the case in the law. Last, Concerning women, today they have to cotise more to ensure a complete protection system, which is not fair. Those problems can be corrected in the debate ; however it has to be done.
The approach of retirement is linked to the vision of work. Work comes from ‘tripalium’ in latin, which was an instrument of torture. Aristotle distinguished between ‘poiesis’ and ‘praxis’, which means work to accomplish something and concrete action. This distinction will be used a lot later by Hannah Arendt, who will speak about homo faber and homo laborans : the first idea means work to do something desired and the second means work by necessity. In the modern times the notion of work was very discussed : liberal thinkers like Locke stressed the notion of property, which is gained by work ; Hume founded the idea of liberal economy. A bit later Hegel stressed work as a tool of freedom : for instance he talked about the parabole of master and slave, where the slave becomes the real master in the long run, which is gained by his skills acquired by work. In the way to a similar extend, Marx is telling that workers can gain their freedom through work ; he also adds that the value of work provided by the workers is higher than the surplus capted by the capitalist : that is the reason why this added value can be an efficient tool if workers rebel against the capitalists. Marx will oppose to his nephew Paul Lafargue who will write “the right to laziness”.
This question of labor is a real subject in France. In my opinion this is also linked to traditional religious views. France has a catholic tradition, while Germany or the United States are protestant. To this extend it is possible to say that Protestantism values more work in its system, it is more promoting the approach of individual responsibility. As France is more linked on social protection, Anglo Saxon countries value more the concept of total individualism. In my opinion both should be combined : a culture of hard work should be at the service of a strong protection system. It is through hard work social protection can be efficient and financed in the long run. To this extend I think working more for a more sustainable retirement system is necessary ; however it should be at the service of a strong social protection system, which is not the case in the law presented by the Macron government. This lack of social insight is a real issue to this extend, and it should be thought again to this extend.
The observer 