Retirement hat of the former boss of PSA divided government – Challenges.fr

The government and unions were outraged Wednesday, May 6 the payment of a retirement hat the former boss of PSA Peugeot Citroën, although the automaker believes this device conforms to known and written down recorded elements.

The website Deontofi.com said Tuesday that the former CEO of PSA, who left his post in early 2014, although a touch hat pension 299.000 euros per year, whereas he had said renounce such a device.

This amount is also mentioned in the reference document 2014 PSA released in late March.

At the end of 2013, leaving the automotive group in big trouble then, Philippe Varin had to give 21 million euros planned for his retirement hat, facing the avalanche of criticism over the publication of that.

“Given the controversy that this subject has generated (…) I decided to give up the current provisions of my pension rights”, said Philippe Varin November 27, 2013.

Making a frame

The hat pensions, generous compensation popular supplements of former top managers, regularly provoking controversy. The government has so far favored self-regulation for businesses, with a code of conduct (code AFEP / MEDEF), but Macron legislation under consideration by Parliament is to regulate more strictly.

Asked Wednesday about the retreat hat Philippe Varin , which currently chairs the board of the nuclear giant Areva, spokesman of the government, Stéphane Le Foll has described as “unacceptable”.

“What image, what idea is given of the exemplary?”, has he asked, adding that “frankly, somewhere, it makes me a little angry. “

The Economy Minister, Emmanuel Macron, however, said a few hours later, in a written statement sent to AFP, that” the government maintains its Philippe confidence in Varin ‘, appointed Chairman of the Areva Group in January.

A lower retirement the initial amount

“The Retirement today affected by Philippe Varin is in accordance with the commitments made by it in 2014 and the provisions passed by the general assembly of PSA in the same year, “said Emmanuel Macron, adding that the supplementary pension scheme of Philippe Varin has been “reviewed and reduced by the action of the government”.

A Bercy, another source notes that “this retreat is to code AFEP / MEDEF and more than two times lower than the amount initially planned,” which was 664,000 euros per year, but said that “the state has nevertheless voted against whenever it has had the opportunity, since becoming a shareholder of PSA. “

Meanwhile, PSA recalled Wednesday that” Philippe Varin had voluntarily surrendered to initial and contractual conditions of its supplementary pension plan, relying on PSA Peugeot Citroën Supervisory Board “.

In addition,” the Council reformed the regime in early 2014 in accordance with AFEP / MEDEF recommendations, leading to a halving of the contractual rights “Mr. Varin , said in a statement that instance.

PSA emphasizes that “Philippe Varin fulfills all the conditions of eligibility for this group retirement plan.”

A very appropriate position

The press But the automaker is silent on a section of Deontofi.com information, that to receive a pension cap after the reform, Mr. Varin should have stayed at PSA for five years, until June 1, 2014.

But his term ended March 31, 2014, when Carlos Tavares took over the presidency of the company’s management board.

According to the management of communication PSA, Mr. Varin PSA employee remained until 30 June 2014, as a project manager, to complete the recapitalization of the company launched during his tenure. arrival in the capital of Chinese Dongfeng and the French state, each up to 14%

“M. Tavares has generously given her a mission completely bogus to perform for three months for it to arrive to complete five years of presence he needed to touch that famous nest egg, “responded Jean-Pierre Mercier, Central CGT union representative, by expressing his “disgust” and his “revolt”.

For his part, Jacques Mazzolini, central CFE-CGC union delegate, said that the retirement information cap M. Varin had “generated a lot of excitement among the employees, who are in a period when the company rebuilt but which nevertheless always asked them to make efforts.” In addition , “the image they had of their former CEO was not necessarily that of success,” he said.

(With AFP)