Pensions and work: the social conference disrupted by the budget debate

"If we want to advance pensions, we have to go through the work process," said Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou at the opening of this conference called for by Sébastien Lecornu, less than six months after the failure of the conclave initiated by his predecessor François Bayrou.

"It is not impossible that the social partners will take up the work of this conference and perhaps manage to converge on the subject of pensions," he said during a press briefing.

"This high-quality work that we are going to undertake, which will last until the summer of next year, will constitute valuable material for the political debate," he added.

"The Prime Minister had planned to come but parliamentary business is demanding," said Mr. Farandou, adding that he would visit the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), which is hosting the conference, if the debates in the Assembly allow it.

The Minister of Labour reminded everyone that "if there is no (budgetary) law on social security, as the suspension is encapsulated in it, there will be no stoppage, delay, or suspension of the 2023 reform".

Initiated by Sébastien Lecornu at the time of the announcement of the suspension of the pension reform, the conference was launched a month ago with a methodological meeting, which the Medef walked out of.

The main employers' organization, very upset about the efforts demanded of companies in the draft budget, prefers to stick to the "autonomous agenda" of the social partners, which "is not indexed to political deadlines".

Jean-Pierre Farandou expressed understanding: "I understand that the Medef is currently focusing its attention on the debates in the National Assembly." He said he was "convinced" that once the budget debates are over, the Medef "will regain its place, and we need it to move forward."

Representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, CPME and U2P, were present on Friday, as were all trade union organizations, except Solidaires.

The CGT decided on Thursday to participate, after obtaining from the Prime Minister that the objective of the conference was to "strengthen our pay-as-you-go system", said the union's general secretary, Sophie Binet.

"A huge waste"

She added on France Info that the CGT wanted "this conference to lead to one or more referendums so that French men and women can finally vote, particularly on pensions."

"There is a growing gap between work as it is imposed and work as it is experienced," said CFDT General Secretary Marylise Léon during the first thematic debate of the day, on the changes in the world of work.

She also denounced "the enormous waste in terms of social dialogue with the reform of employee representative bodies" of 2017.

Like other speakers, she mentioned the challenges of the world of work, from the digital revolution to the ecological transition.

For 40 years, public policies have "too often prioritized employment issues at the expense of the question of work, focusing on the figures" of the labor market, explained the president of the Cese Thierry Beaudet.

"As long as we do not have the courage to reopen the debate on the financing of the social model, we are not revaluing work itself," said the president of the CPME, Amir Reza-Tofighi.

The president of the CFE-CGC managers' union, François Hommeril, praised a "very sincere" Minister of Labour, saying he "really wants to play along" with the conference, while saying he "struggles to understand" the absence of the Medef.

In the afternoon, issues of employment, particularly for young people and seniors, and the links between the "demographic shift" and pensions are addressed.

This first plenary conference, which will be followed by two others and monthly workshops until next summer, will be closed by Jean-Pierre Farandou and his counterpart from the Civil Service, David Amiel.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.