François Bayrou confident of a pension agreement, the "conclave" more cautious

"Most observers will tell you that it's not possible. But I was, I am, and I remain confident. (...) I believe there is a way" for the social partners "to reach an agreement" on Tuesday, the Prime Minister affirmed on the sidelines of a trip to the VivaTech new technologies fair.

The challenge is considerable: the "conclave" must agree to make the 2023 Borne pension reform, which gradually raises the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, less unpopular. And if possible, by rebalancing the pension system, which, without countermeasures, would plunge into a deficit estimated at €6,6 billion by 2030, according to the projections of the Pensions Advisory Council (COR) in its annual report adopted Thursday.

If an agreement is reached, François Bayrou has pledged to present it to Parliament.

However, it is difficult to predict what the final meeting will bring: feelings differed on Thursday among the participants still present (CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC on the union side, Medef and CPME on the employers' side), at the end of the penultimate working session.

Hot and cold

Christelle Thieffinne, representative of the CFE-CGC, summed up the hot and cold blowing during this process which has entered its fourth month.

The union representative began by saying that "it could happen quickly" for an agreement. "If at some point, some people give up, then we'll start discussing what's left."

But the union leader added in the next sentence: "The question is always the same: does everyone in the room want an agreement?"

Pascale Coton, CFTC negotiator, hammers the point home: "We have to ask ourselves the question: if five of us sign, that's a real commitment; if only three of us (the unions) sign, it wouldn't be the same thing at all."

The employers' dig is aimed less at the CPME (small and medium-sized enterprises), which is still proposing adjustments, than at the Medef (French employers' association). The main employers' organization remained enigmatic about its intentions for a long time before revealing its true intentions on Tuesday, a week before the end of the process launched at the beginning of the year by François Bayrou following a compromise reached with the Socialists to avoid a government vote of confidence.

"An injury"

The MEDEF (French employers' association) has thus refused to change the retirement age of 64. However, it has stated that it is ready to make progress in terms of arduous work and the careers of women who have had children.

"Everyone has understood that the retirement age of 64 is a given," Eric Chevée, of the CPME, affirmed on Thursday. He added, "Well, no, not until negotiations are concluded..."

However, for Yvan Ricordeau, negotiator for the CFDT, "we are not close to an agreement", notably because there was no "movement on the age" - a reduction - on Wednesday and Thursday.

Christelle Thieffinne, representative of the CFE-CGC, noted that the retirement age of 64 would likely not be called into question at the "conclave." "It will always be the issue, a wound, the conflict over pension reform is not over, it will be dealt with at another time," she explained.

Thursday's session focused primarily on workplace hardship and wear and tear, with employers expected to respond in kind to the retirement age remaining unchanged. "The employers are ready to acknowledge and track them, whereas before they told us it was complicated," summarized Christelle Thieffinne.

But the proposal put forward on Thursday by the CPME, concerning a medical examination at age 59, determining "end-of-career arrangements, phased retirement, part-time work, etc.", does not "tick all the boxes" for the CFDT, leaves the CFTC "worried," and still presents "blockages" for the CFE-CGC.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.