Higher pensions for French civil servants in Pacific territories to be

Updated October 13, 2008 11:39:27

The French government's plan to phase out higher pensions available to civil servants retiring in France's overseas territories has met with strong criticism.
Until now, civil servants retiring to the overseas territories, could claim pensions up to 75 per cent higher than those available in France - regardless of whether or not they had ever worked in those territories. But representatives of civil servants living and working in the Pacific territories say they genuinely need the increase to compensate for the higher cost of living.

Helene Hofman
Speaker: General Secretary for the New Caledonia Federation of Civil Servants, Joao D'Almeida.