“The worst renunciation would be to stop moving”, says Olivier Dussopt

“I think that the decision of the Constitutional Council does not extinguish the opposition to the text”, acknowledged the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt on Saturday April 15 on France Culture, after the validation by the Constitutional Council of the essential pension reform and the promulgation of the law by Emmanuel Macron on the night of Friday to Saturday. But “the worst renunciation would be to stop moving”says Olivier Dussopt.

>> Follow our live on the pension reform, its validation and its promulgation

The Minister ensures that “no one ignores anyone”responding to the criticisms made by the oppositions after the validation of the text and its promulgation. “The government doesn’t ignore the opposition, doesn’t ignore the protests.” “We know that a pension reform is, by definition, unpopularadmits the minister who recalls thatno pension reform has ever been supported”. Olivier Duddopt acknowledges that the government is asking “an effort to the Frenchbut he asserts that it’s an effort that is as distributed as possible.”

“Working with trade unions and employers’ organizations”

After this sequence of retreats, the Minister of Labor now wishes to “to work with the trade unions and with the employers’ organisations”. Beyond the meeting proposed by the Head of State with the unions, “there are subjects which deserve shared work, either subjects on the initiative of the government, but also on these subjects which come under the initiative of the social partners”.

While many political and union reactions point to a democratic and political crisis, Olivier Dussopt ensures that “our institutions work”. “I consider that there is no democratic or political crisis.” He wants “continue to advance”because it is “a necessity”. “The worst renunciation would be to stop moving, would be immobility”, warns the minister. He believes that the government has “the political capital to move forward”. “If we do nothing for school, for health, for our republican order, it is the most fragile who suffer first”adds Olivier Dussopt.