This Friday, a crucial meeting opens at the Ministry of Labor, where Prime Minister François Bayrou invites four ministers and the main union and employer organizations. Objective: to lay the foundations for a social dialogue aimed at getting pension reform back on track, an issue that sparked fierce protest in 2023.
A major national issue
François Bayrou had announced it in his general policy statement: "I have chosen to revisit this subject with the social partners." Thus, this first meeting, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Ministry of Labor, aims to define the framework and method of the discussions, which will last three months. This work will begin after the publication of the "flash" mission entrusted to the Court of Auditors on the financing of the pension system, expected in the coming weeks.
At the head of this consultation, the Prime Minister will be supported by Éric Lombard (Minister of Economy), Catherine Vautrin (Health and Labor), Laurent Marcangeli (Civil Service) and Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet (Labor). On the union side, the major unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, Unsa) are present, while on the employers' side, the Medef, the CPME, the U2P and the FNSEA will be around the table.
However, the non-invitation of Solidaires and the FSU has provoked the ire of some, notably the CFDT and the CGT, who deplore this exclusion: "This fight against the pension reform, we led it with eight people, we must be received with eight people!", insists a source close to the inter-union.
Clear expectations for a necessary compromise
The Prime Minister will deliver an opening speech to clarify his expectations of the social partners and will detail the resources allocated to this "permanent delegation", responsible for renegotiating a reform that is essential for the country's economic future. Each participant will have the opportunity to speak, allowing the organization and composition of the working group to be clarified.
The kick-off meeting, scheduled to last approximately one and a half hours, will be followed by three months of intensive negotiations, with the aim of finding a viable compromise acceptable to all parties. In the meantime, employees and civil servants will continue to gradually pay off their pension rights, in accordance with the provisions of the law.Elisabeth Borne.
In a tense social climate, this consultation represents a crucial opportunity to renew dialogue between the government and social partners. For François Bayrou, it is not only a question of resolving a major economic problem, but also of reaffirming the importance of social dialogue in a country attached to its sovereignty and the defense of its social model.
