This was not necessarily seen on Saturday at the Élysée, but the great union leaders were almost all absent from Emmanuel Macron’s investiture ceremony. Only the secretary general of CFTC took part, the others did not come citing personal reasons.
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In 2017, they were all present at the investiture ceremony of Emmanuel Macron. But five years later, there was only one left: Cyril Chabanier of the CFTC. The other four major union leaders did not make the trip to the Élysée on Saturday May 7, among the 500 people invited by the President of the Republic.
The ceremony, shorter than five years ago, took place in the presence, among others, of former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, as well as the government, parliamentarians and personalities from the world of sport and culture. Should we see a sign in the absence of the main union leaders, while the president is expected at the turn, especially on pension reform?
At the CFDT, we refute this hypothesis. Laurent Berger had a personal commitment, there is no other interpretation indicates his entourage. Yves Veyrier, from Force Ouvrière, explains that the email arrived late and was missed. Perhaps a defect, he points out, of the all-digital society. At the CFE-CGC, François Hommeril replies that he was “unavailable for personal reasons” but that “this ceremony is not a priority”. He will have “other occasionshe says, to meet the executive.”
Also absent on Saturday, Philippe Martinez of the CGT. “On Saturdays I do my shopping because I am against opening shops on Sundays”he explains in an SMS a bit mischievous.