Pension law: French company calls back retired employees

By Alaattin Dogru

ANKARA (AA) – Former employees of the French nuclear company Orano can no longer dream of a quiet retirement after being called back to work for two more years due to new legislation.

Orano called back retired employees, broadcaster France Bleu reported, following the promulgation of the widely-contested law on April 15, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030 and requires at least 43 years of service to be eligible for a full pension.

The law is set to come into force on Sep. 1, and those born in 1961 are the first to be impacted by the government reform.

In early April, Orano notified its 16 retired employees born after 1961 that they must work for another two years, the broadcaster reported.

These employees had anticipated their retirement date due to other measures.

However, the company suggested that these employees can take two years of unpaid leave without being considered retired.

If they refuse, the former employees must accept a lower pension, according to the notification.

One of those former employees told France Bleu that he was already planning to move to southern France after selling his home. He now regrets that way of thinking, he added.

“I contributed for 42 years because that was the rule back then,” he said, adding that after 41 and a half years of service, that has now changed.

Orano officials said they notified their employees to prevent them from getting shocked in the fall after the law enters into force.

The trade union representing these employees criticized the notification before the official decree implementing the law was published.

* Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara