Macron wants a conference on financing the social model

Judging that "our social model is financed too much by work," the president declared that he hoped for the opening "in the coming weeks" of a "project" on the subject, during an interview where he was confronted with the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet.

"I ask the government to open it up with all the union and employer forces," he said, believing that it is necessary to "look for money outside of work alone," particularly through "consumption."

The president also called for the organization of a "negotiation" on "the quality of work and the evolution of forms of work", while "more and more young people (...) do not want to be employees" and "more and more seniors" want to "work differently", according to him.

Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, responded "no" to Sophie Binet's request to organize a referendum on the repeal of the pension reform, which had given rise to a very large mobilization in the streets in 2023 before being implemented without a vote in Parliament, by Article 49.3 of the Constitution, by the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

At the beginning of the year, Prime Minister François Bayrou invited the social partners to re-discuss this reform, which raises the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, promising to submit any possible agreement to a vote in Parliament.

"We must see this discussion through to the end," Mr. Macron said. "If you were concerned about the fate of these women and men, you would have stayed at the table to defend them," he told the union leader.

The CGT (General Confederation of Trade Unions) walked out of this "conclave" on March 19, following François Bayrou's repeated refusal to reinstate the age limit of 62. Discussions have since continued with five of the eight social partners, following the departures of the artisans and tradespeople from the U2P and Force Ouvrière unions, and are expected to conclude by the end of May.

"We came away from this discussion without any announcements regarding improvements to wages, working conditions, pensions, or benefits for workers," lamented the CGT leader at the conclusion of the debate on TF1.

"Why do a 2-hour 20-minute broadcast if it's only to publicize his performance?" she asked AFP after the exchange. "We have a president who has transformed himself into Professor Macron, as if we were his students... But the workers, it's not that they don't understand his policies, it's that they see on the ground that their working conditions are deteriorating."

"I was expecting a change of direction, starting with pension reform, which would have allowed us to emerge on a higher plane... But he has closed all the doors," lamented Ms. Binet.

The government has no announcement to make, says the spokesperson.

The government has no announcement to make regarding the holding of a "social conference" on financing the social model, requested Tuesday evening by Emmanuel Macron, but considers the idea "interesting," according to his spokesperson Sophie Primas.

"I have no announcement to make regarding a new conclave, but I find this idea proposed by the President of the Republic to be quite interesting," Ms. Primas said on Sud Radio on Wednesday, seeming to indicate that this presidential announcement had not been the subject of prior discussions with the government.

Here again, "the discussion has not yet taken place with the Prime Minister and the government (...) But I find the question interesting, it must be asked," said Ms. Primais.

For the government spokesperson, this question of financing our social model could be the subject of the referendum wanted by François Bayrou on public finances.

"The President of the Republic did not bury him, provided that there was a specific question," she said.

Emmanuel Macron, however, pointed out that taxation was the responsibility of Parliament and did not fall within the scope of subjects authorized for referendum by Article 11 of the Constitution.