Tax cuts, unemployment insurance … What employers will ask during their meeting with Elisabeth Borne

After the unions last week, the employers’ organizations are received on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 May at Matignon, to talk in particular about the employment of seniors or defend the degressivity of unemployment benefits. But before setting out their demands, the Medef and the CPME will first come and say, with one and the same voice, to the Prime Minister, what they do not want to hear about.

>> Meeting of the unions with Elisabeth Borne: “I do not know if we can speak of the end of the glaciation period”, estimates the number 2 of the CFDT

For employers, there is no question of reopening certain files despite the insistent demands of employee representatives. The unions asked Elisabeth Borne last week to come back to several subjects. They want the abolition of the work orders adopted at the start of the first five-year term and which relax the rules of the labor market. The inter-union also wishes to return to the tightening of the rules of unemployment insurance. The last demand – it’s an old union demand – is to condition public aid to companies on certain obligations, such as having salary scales above the minimum wage. A proposal formulated by the leader of the CFDT Laurent Berger in the Sunday newspaper.

The employers’ organizations will also put their own subjects on the table. Even if this is not really the purpose of these meetings, the Medef and the CPME also intend to ensure that the promised tax cuts will be well kept. Companies must indeed benefit from a second tranche of reduction in production taxes: four billion euros again in 2024 after that granted for the same amount this year. For employers, there is no question of waiting for the budgetary trajectory to allow it, as Emmanuel Macron has specified for the two billion tax cuts promised to the middle classes.

Bosses willing to talk about employment of seniors

This being said, the employers’ organizations agree to open negotiations as the executive wants. They agree in particular to talk about the employment of seniors, says the Medef. The CPME adds a proposal for reductions in contributions to encourage companies to keep these seniors in employment. The Medef, for its part, warns Matignon about the method: once the subjects have been fixed, it will be necessary to leave leeway to the employers’ organizations and trade unions so that they can negotiate. They do not want the government to hold the pencil.

At the end of the day’s discussions, Elisabeth Borne will schedule a new meeting, perhaps by the end of the month. This time multilaterally with representatives of employees and business leaders. The Prime Minister will detail a new social agenda with a risk. That part of the unions, still in the fight against the pension reform, does not find the meeting a little premature.