In the midst of a social crisis, the Prime Minister must meet the unions in the middle of next week. Several points of divergence risk blocking the discussions.
From frontal opposition to the possibility of dialogue. After scrapping for nearly three months against the pension reform, the unions were invited to a meeting with Elisabeth Borne next week at Matignon. If the agenda of this meeting between the two parties has not been specified, the differences obviously remain very strong while a new day of action is scheduled for Thursday April 6, eight days before the decision of the Constitutional Council on reform.
What will a government and the unions that have been fleeing each other for several weeks talk about? Each of the parties is trying to assert its positions on the timetable for the reform, on the extension of the legal age of departure or even on the way to break the impasse in which the social dialogue finds itself. Franceinfo takes stock of the common ground and differences between the executive and the social partners in view of this crucial meeting.
The government rules out the possibility of mediation, desired by some of the unions
It is a question of form which could not help the fundamental dissensions. The CFDT asked Tuesday morning “mediation” For “find a way out” to the social crisis. “You have to take a month, a month and a half, to ask one, two, three people to mediate” between the parties, said Laurent Berger on France Inter.
In the aftermath, the government spokesperson dismissed him on this point. “We take Laurent Berger’s proposal to talk to each other, but directly. No need for mediation”said Olivier Véran, Tuesday noon. “We can talk to each other directly. There is no mediator in the Republic when we can talk to each other directly”he insisted.
“It’s a rather absurd idea to appoint a mediator or to take a break while the reform is examined by the Constitutional Council. For the moment, it does not make sense.”
A member of the majorityat franceinfo
On the union side, this mediation proposal is not unanimous either. The CGT is thus divided on this question: part of the central, led by the outgoing leader Philippe Martinez, supports this proposal, while another part of the troops does not want to hear about it, against the backdrop of a highly disputed congress for the future of the CGT apparatus. Never mind, for Laurent Berger: the cedist leader again insisted, Wednesday, at the microphone of franceinfo, on the need for mediation, “the best way out of this crisis” according to him.
The increase in the legal age to 64, a red line for both parties
The postponement to 64 of the legal retirement age remains an impassable red line for both sides. On the one hand, the unions absolutely want to discuss this measure, which constitutes the heart of the reform, during the meeting in Matignon. If Elisabeth Borne refuses “to speak” 64 years old, “then we’ll leave”, warned Laurent Berger, on France Inter. Cyril Chabanier, number 1 of the CFTC, meanwhile said on BFMTV that he would go to the meeting with Elisabeth Borne “On the only condition that we can talk about 64 years”a position similar to that defended by Benoît Teste, number one of the FSU.
“If there is a firm no to the withdrawal from the start at 64, it is not certain that we will stay until the end.”
Benoît Teste, Secretary General of the FSUon franceinfo
Opposite, is the government ready to mention this measure which crystallizes social protest? Some vagueness remains. This measure will not be on the menu of the meeting, warned Wednesday the Minister of Relations with Parliament, Franck Riester, and the president of the Modem, François Bayrou. “The 64 years are in the text, we can’t change the line at this point”warned the former minister.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, as well as the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, on the contrary affirmed that “all topics” would be discussed at this meeting.
Possible discussions on the “operational implementation of the law”, according to the government
If the government does not intend to reconsider the heart of its reform, discussions are still possible on its methods of implementation, before the entry into force of the text scheduled for September. “The planned operational implementation of the law” implied “lots of points of discussion and exchanges”recalled Tuesday Olivier Véran at the exit of the Council of Ministers. “Who says law, says decrees for the application of the law. There are many things that can be discussed in the implementation of this pension bill”said the government spokesman.
Certain measures of the reform, such as the “CDI seniors”, are also conditional on discussions between the social partners. The text adopted by Parliament makes its implementation conditional on the signing of a national inter-professional agreement between unions and employers, by August 31. In the absence of an agreement between the social partners, the “CDI seniors” will be limited to a three-year experiment, from September 2023 to September 2026.
The government wants to address the labor issue more broadly, the unions are reluctant
For Francois Bayrou, “there is much to discuss” between the government and the union representatives invited to Matignon. And for the government, this dialogue does not only involve the question of pensions, which saturates the social agenda at the start of the year. Because in the boxes of the executive is a new law on labor and employment, which Olivier Dussopt wants to see debated in Parliament at least once “by summer”.
>> PORTRAIT. Olivier Dussopt, the “punching-ball” minister on the front line on pension reform
Olivier Véran called on Tuesday, at the exit of the Council of Ministers, to discuss with the unions “beyond the mere content of the pension reform, what we can do together to advance workers’ rights”. He mentioned the “distribution of value within the company”, “career endings”, “small wages below the minimum wage”.
But are the unions ready to discuss subjects other than pensions at this meeting? Few today seem willing to support a new legislative project. “We are ready to dialogue, but not on peripheral subjects”warned Benoît Teste on franceinfo, Wednesday. “If it’s to talk about something other than pensions, then we’re giving the signal that we’ve turned the page on pensions, and that we’ve accepted this law. Today, that’s not possible”slice Cyril Chabanier, leader of the CFTC.