The BNP Paribas Retirees’ Association
In 1970, Simone de Beauvoir denounced the “conspiracy of silence” against older people in her book “The Coming of Age”. But at BNP Paribas, the Retirees’ Association had already been in existence for seven years. Since 1963, its history has been intertwined with that of the bank’s predecessor institutions.
« As we look at the image of old people that is proposed to us as our future, we remain incredulous; a voice within us whispers absurdly that it will not happen to us: we will no longer be ourselves when it happens. Before it settles upon us, old age is something that only concerns others. Thus, we can understand how society manages to distract us from seeing in old people our own kind. »
— Simone de Beauvoir, The Coming of Age
A profession already supportive of its elders
From the beginning of the 20th century, the Bank had taken care of its retirees. A provident fund for employees of the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas was created in the 1900s. It was co-managed by elected employee representatives and a delegation from the General Management, which also made generous donations to it.
The principle was simple: all employees automatically became members of the Fund, and a portion of their salary was contributed to it each month. The money earned interest thanks to the Fund’s portfolio, which benefited from the expertise and network of the bank’s employees. After five years, employees could withdraw their savings.
After the Liberation in 1945, the pay-as-you-go pension system became the norm. The Provident Fund was then liquidated, but the Government authorized the existence of a complementary fund at Paribas, on condition that it was more favorable to employees than the general regime. This was the case! Instead of the legal retirement age of 65, the Retirement Fund offered a full pension from the age of 60, after only 20 years of service.
Despite this solidarity, retirees were not represented in these bodies. It was not until the early 1960s that their voice was heard in the world of active employees, through the Journal of the Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie.
“The third age, rejected by the group and hostile to the idea of grouping, has been unable to convey its need for a collective tool. As a result, everything remains to be built from scratch: support services, childcare, housing, transportation, exchange programs, information services, financial services – in short, a comprehensive administrative framework that is still entirely lacking.”
Journal of the BNCI company, 174, 1963
A vital need for connection
This message, published in the company journal, came from the Association of Retirees of the BNCI. This Association had been created in 1947, following pension reforms, like the one at Paribas. But it had been completely inactive and had fallen into oblivion. It was reborn in 1963: this is where the history of the BNP Paribas Retirees’ Association began.
On December 3, 200 retirees gathered at 8 rue de la Nation to vote on the Association’s statutes. The General Management of the bank “expressed its satisfaction at seeing this association, which had been dormant until now, come to life and thus perpetuate the great BNCI family to the extreme limit”. The success was immediate: 800 new retirees joined in three months, and the membership continued to grow.
The honorary president clearly stated the Association’s essentially social and mutual aid purpose. All political or religious questions were banned. The 1960s saw the development of social gerontology, and the Retirees’ Association applied its principles. The goal was to maintain an active life after retirement, keep in touch with the company, and develop new relationships with fellow retirees. For members, it was the beginning of a new life.
Presentation of the Retirees’ Association
BNP Paribas Retirees’ Association
Since 1968, the Retirees’ Association has regularly published its journal, Amitiés Info. This newsletter, sent to retirees, brings together all the useful information to facilitate their second life. It includes news from the bank, information on retirement rights, announcements of retirees’ banquets, and travel proposals.
A history of delayed mergers
The evolution of these associations over the years is complex and reflects the changes in the Group. When banks merged, the communities of retirees also had to adapt. This was the case with the creation of BNP in 1966, and then with the merger of BNP and Paribas in 2000. The Retirees’ Associations had to take the time to find common ground to succeed in their mergers. But it worked!
The Union of Retirees, the association of retirees from the CNEP created in 1956, had its own history and identity. This explains why it did not merge with the Retirees’ Association until 1990, 24 years after the birth of BNP. Although they had a different philosophy, with the Union of Retirees having a more political orientation, it became illogical for new retirees who had spent most of their career at BNP to have to choose between a Union from the CNEP and an Association from the BNCI.
By merging with the Union of Retirees, the Retirees’ Association developed a more political position. In 1993, it launched a 10-year battle to renegotiate, with the General Management of BNP, the rules of its Retirement Fund.
Eight years were then needed to allow the merger between the Retirees’ Association and the Association of Retirees of Paribas. The BNP Paribas Retirees’ Association was thus born on January 1, 2008, and continues to live on today thanks to the activity of its volunteers, heirs to a long line of retirees from the Group!
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