Unions at Matignon to renew dialogue, without turning the page on pensions

While waiting for "D-Day" on June 6 and a 14th day of demonstrations against pension reform, the unions will resume language this week with the Prime Minister, an opportunity for them to advance the subjects they consider priorities.

The five representative unions - CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC - will be received at Matignon as part of bilateral meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. The employers' organizations will be the following week.

"Even after these turbulent months, I remain convinced that more room must be given to negotiation and social dialogue", assures Elisabeth Borne on Sunday in an interview with the JDD, saying that she is "listening to the priorities" of the trade union organizations. and employers.

Ms. Borne had launched these invitations without "specific agenda" on May 5, after presenting the roadmap of the "hundred days" decreed by Emmanuel Macron to relaunch the executive after the pension reform.

A reform which was adopted by Parliament and promulgated by the President of the Republic on April 14, without this convincing the unions to lay down their arms.

After a May 1 marked by the battle against the postponement of the legal age to 64, they announced a 14th day of strikes and demonstrations on June 6, two days before the examination in the Assembly of a bill from the Liot group aimed at repealing the reform.

"The match is not completely over" and "this bill gives us additional time", underlined in L'Obs the secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger.

On Monday, the intersyndicale plans to publish a press release reformulating its determined opposition to the reform. On May 5, she sent a letter to parliamentarians urging them to vote on the Liot bill.

"June 6 is an important date in the history of France, it's D-Day, the D-Day of the landing, we are calling to land this reform which is dangerous for the country, dangerous for the employees" , said Wednesday to Mediapart the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet.

The method in question

If the unions had shortened their previous meeting with the Prime Minister, on April 5, they intend this time to address the subjects they consider priorities.

“There are subjects on which we should be able to discuss because these are concrete improvements for the workers”, says one in the entourage of the Prime Minister, citing in particular the arduousness.

"We will refuse any discussion on regressive subjects" in terms of social rights, warned Sunday Sophie Binet, guest of the Grand Jury RTL-LCI-Le Figaro, believing that it was necessary to talk about salaries. But beforehand, "what I am going to say to the Prime Minister is that there will be no return to normal if this reform (of pensions) is not abandoned", she said. insisted.

"We will continue to say that the page is not turned" on pensions, but "we cannot not talk about inflation, purchasing power", explains to AFP the president of the CFTC , Cyril Chabanier, believing that the unions are "in a position of strength thanks to the social movement".

Among the subjects that the unions wish to discuss: the employment of seniors and hardship, wages in the private and public sectors, the organization of work (four-day week, telework), the reform of the RSA, the conditionality of aid granted to companies, the revision of work orders, etc.

They are developing "common demands" which will be finalized "in the coming weeks", according to Ms. Binet. “We are not ready”, admitted Friday to AFP the number two of the CFDT, Marylise Léon.

The CFDT will come with a thick "claims book", but also requirements in terms of method. "We go back to discuss but not under any conditions," warns Ms. Léon. "If things are not studied because everything is decided in advance, that does not suit us".

The leader, called to succeed Laurent Berger on June 21, is however cautious. "I'm not sure they have another method to offer us," she slips.

"Distrust will remain extremely deep," said Sophie Binet on Sunday.