She played a key role during the examination of the pension reform in the National Assembly, here she is propelled to the government. Renaissance MP Fadila Khattabi, chair of the social affairs committee since 2020, was appointed minister delegate in charge of people with disabilities, on the occasion of the cabinet reshuffle unveiled on Thursday 20 July. A portfolio hitherto held by Geneviève Darrieussecq, who is leaving the government.
During the stormy period of examination of the executive bill to raise the retirement age to 64, Fadila Khattabi repeated over and over “we open the chakras”, in an attempt to calm the parliamentarians of his committee overheated by the debates.
Coming from the left and elected to the regional council of Bourgonne in 2004, she was socialist vice-president of the regional council from 2010 to 2015, before withdrawing from political life after having failed to set up a dissident socialist list associated with the MoDem in the elections.
straight talk
Sometimes “cash”, sometimes joker, sometimes professor, Fadila Khattabi, 61, is a former English teacher. Native of Montbéliard, she grew up in the Doubs before going to study English in Dijon.
She entered the Assembly in 2017 as a deputy for the 3rd constituency of Côte-d’Or under the banner La République en Marche (LRM), thanks to the entry into force of the “walkers” after the election of Emmanuel Macron, beating a National Rally candidate by a large margin. In June 2022, however, she was narrowly re-elected (66 votes) against a candidate from the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes).
At the end of the tough political sequence of retirements, the elected outspoken and loyal to her camp was able to attract the gratitude of the majority, but also very strong criticism from the opposition.
The Nupes in particular reproached him for having postponed in committee the examination of amendments which he had tabled before the examination of the reform, in an attempt to have it repealed. Like other elected members of the majority, she also received threatening letters during this sequence, as well as racist insults.
Conviction to the prud’hommes
In addition to its role in the pension reform, it was also at the initiative of a law to regulate more strictly the health centers on the territory. This text followed in particular the Dentexia scandal – low-cost dental centers liquidated after numerous complaints from patients – and Proxidentaire, where dozens of patients had denounced ill-treatment, mutilation and financial abuse.
On July 13, the Dijon Actualités media reported on the condemnation of the deputy by the Dijon industrial tribunal on June 23, requiring her to pay compensation to a former employee, “as a reminder of salary for overtime” and “for non-compliance with maximum working hours and rest periods”.
Information also relayed by Mediapart Thursday in the wake of his appointment to the government.
The Union syndicale solidaires de Côte-d’Or called his appointment “a new affront to millions of workers” in a statement issued shortly after the announcement. Asked by Agence France-Presse on Thursday evening, Fadila Khattabi was not available to react to these articles, according to those around her.