| Pierre Mauroy | |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 22 May 1981 – 17 July 1984 |
|
| President | François Mitterrand |
| Preceded by | Raymond Barre |
| Succeeded by | Laurent Fabius |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1928 Cartignies, Nord |
| Political party | Socialist |
| Occupation | Educator civil servant |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Pierre Mauroy (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ moʁwa]; born 5 July 1928) is a French Socialist politician and former Prime Minister under François Mitterrand (from 1981 to 1984). Mauroy also served as Mayor of Lille from 1973 to 2001. Mauroy is currently emeritus mayor of Lille.
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Mauroy was born in Cartignies. A teacher, he led the Socialist Young Movement and the Technique Teaching Union in the 1950s. He became a leading figure in the Socialist federation of Nord département, which was among the third biggest of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) party and climbed quickly in the party. In 1966, he became number 2 of the party behind the secretary general, Guy Mollet. Nevertheless, when Mollet resigned as leader in 1969, Alain Savary was chosen to succeed him.
After the electoral disasters of 1968 and 1969, he was persuaded of the necessity to renew the party. In 1971, during the Epinay Congress, he supported François Mitterrand's advent and became the number 2 in the Socialist Party (PS). Two years later, he was elected as a deputy and Mayor of Lille.
Increasingly, Mauroy criticized the ejection of former SFIO members from the important functions in aid of Mitterrand's friends. In this, he formed an alliance with Michel Rocard, the main opponent of Mitterrand, during the 1979 Metz Congress. However, Mitterrand chose him as spokesperson during the 1981 presidential campaign; after Mitterrand's election, he appointed Mauroy as Prime Minister.
Mauroy's government was a radical reforming one, implementing a wide range of social reforms including the reduction of the legal workweek from 40 to 39 hours,[1] the lowering of the retirement age to sixty, and a rise in social welfare benefits. Entitlement to paid holidays was also extended from four to five weeks. During the Mauroy government’s first year in office, minimum pensions were increased by 38%, rent allowances by 50%, family allowances by 25% (50% for households with two children), and the minimum wage by 25%.[2] Efforts were made to shift the burden of direct taxes away from lower income groups, while increases in the minimum wage gave the low paid a real increase in their living standards of about 15% in 1981–82.[3] Unemployment benefits were also increased, together with the duration of time in which one could receive them.[4]
Upon taking office, the Mauroy Government embarked upon an ambitious redistributive programme. The minimum wage went up in real terms by 11% between May 1981 and September 1982, while the minimum old age pension was increased by 30%. 800,000 elderly people were exempted from paying T.V. licenses, while 1.5 million were also exempted from local taxes. Between May 1981 and January 1983, family benefits were significantly increased, with the purchasing power of the 2,700,000 families with two children raised by 40%. These policies significantly improved the living standards of the less well off in French society,[5] with poverty reduced during Mauroy’s term in office.[6] Family allowances were increased by 81% for families with two children and by 49% for families with three children, while old-age pensions were raised by 300 francs a month for a single person and 3,700 francs for a couple. Altogether, the purchasing power of social transfers went up by 45% i n1981 and by 7.6% in 1982. Health care coverage was also extended, with health insurance benefits made more widely available to part-time employees and the unemployed.[7] Efforts were also made to promote voluntary retirement at sixty, with a pension ranging upwards from 80% of the SMIC to 50% of a middle-management salary. Elderly people benefited greatly from the social and economic measures undertaken by the Mauroy Government, with the real income of pensioners rising by a quarter.[8]
The harsh immigration statutes of the Giscard Government, while an immigration law was passed (1981) which not only limited the grounds for expelling foreigners, but also facilitated family reunions and amnestied 130,000 illegal immigrants. The anti-discriminatory Professional Equality Law (1983), which defined equality between men and women “in sweeping terms,” required all businesses to furnish statistics on the situation of women in the workplace. This legislation marked a new departure in anti-discriminatory efforts and, reinforced by a series of measures taken by the Rocard government in 1989, brought an end to wage differentials hidden by different job descriptions.[9] Decentralising laws were also passed which transferred responsibilities for urban planning to municipalities and economic planning to the regions.[10]
The Auroux laws (1982) increased the rights of trade unions and employees in the workplace, covering collective bargaining, representation, information, health and safety, and unfair dismissal. The Deferre law reduced the powers of the prefect, set up elected regional councils, and increased the powers of local government. The security court was abolished, and measures were introduced to control police harassment. Legal aid was extended, legislation was introduced which effectively combated discrimination against homosexuals, and the traditional powers of the juge d’instruction in the preparation of criminal cases was reduced. The Mauroy Government also did much to promote arts, culture, and education, as characterised by a tripling in real terms in state aid to the arts, a quadrupling of spending on public libraries, which led to the number of library loans growing by a third, and the removal of obstacles to cheaper book-retailing.[11]
The incomes of the poorest sections of society were increased exponentially as a result of social security reforms and a 25% increase in the minimum wage.[12] Allowances for the handicapped were also increased, while the right to deduct the cost of child care for all children under the age of three was introduced (a right later extended to include all children under the age of five in some cases.[13]
Although the Mauroy government’s social policies helped to transform France into a more just society,[14] its reflationary economic strategy (based on encouraging domestic consumption) failed to improve the French economy in the long term, with increases in the level of inflation as well as in the trade and budget deficits.[15] This led Mauroy to advocate the abandonment of Socialist economic policies (which failed to reduce unemployment and inflation), a controversial "u-turn" which was ratified by President Mitterrand in March 1983, and a number of austerity measures were subsequently carried out.[16] Failing to restrict the financing of private schools via the Savary Law, he resigned in 1984.
In 1988 he became First Secretary of the PS against the will of Mitterrand, who supported Laurent Fabius. Until the end of his term, in 1992, he tried to appease the relations between the clans which composed the PS, notably during the very strained 1990 Rennes Congress. He allied with the rocardien group and Lionel Jospin's supporters, who came from the mitterrandist group.
President of the Socialist International from 1992 to 1999, Senator since 1992, he left the Lille belfry in 2001. Considered a moral authority of the French Left, he supported the candidacy of Ségolène Royal during the 2007 primary election.
Governmental functions
Prime minister : 1981–1984.[17]
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament : 1979–1980 (Resignation).
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Nord (department) : 1973–1981 (Became Prime minister in 1981) / 1984–1992 (Elected senator in 1992). Elected in 1973, reelected in 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988.[17]
Senate of France
Senator of Nord (department) : 1992–2011. Elected in 1992, reelected in 2001.[17][18]
Regional Council
President of the Regional Council of Nord-Pas-de-Calais : 1974–1981.
Regional councillor of Nord-Pas-de-Calais : 1974–1981 / 1986–1988 (Resignation).
General Council
Vice-president of the General Council of Nord (department) : 1967–1973.
General councillor of Nord (department) : 1967–1973.
Municipal Council
Mayor of Lille : 1973–2001. Reelected in 1977, 1983, 1989, 1995.
Deputy-mayor of Lille : 1971–1973.
Municipal councillor of Lille : 1971–2008. Reelected in 1977, 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001.
Urban community Council
President of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole : 1989–2008. Reelected in 1995, 2001.
Vice-president of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole : 1971–1989. Reelected in 1977, 1983.
Member of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole : 1971–2008. Reelected in 1977, 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001.
Political function
First Secretary (leader) of the Socialist Party (France) : 1988–1992. Elected in 1988.
Changes
Changes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Raymond Barre |
Prime Minister of France 1981–1984 |
Succeeded by Laurent Fabius |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Lionel Jospin |
First Secretary of the French Socialist Party 1988–1991 |
Succeeded by Laurent Fabius |
| Preceded by Willy Brandt |
President of the Socialist International 1992–1999 |
Succeeded by António Guterres |
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