Paris (AFP)

The CFDT is opposed to "a resumption of activity at any cost" but does not consider it "not illogical" as soon as the health and safety of the employees are assured, said Sunday its secretary general Laurent Berger.

"The CFDT does not want a resumption of activity at all costs, regardless of the conditions (...), the CFDT says that we must secure the health and safety of workers and that it is not illogical that activity resumes in a certain number of cases when this is assured, "said Berger on Radio J, citing the Toyota factory in Onnaing (North), which has just restarted production.

Laurent Berger identified social dialogue as a condition for the success of deconfinement, and compared the case of Toyota to that of another company, Amazon. The logistics giant has closed its warehouses while French justice has ruled in favor of the unions demanding a real assessment of the risks linked to the epidemic.

"In one (of these companies, note), there were long discussions on the way in which we resume the activity, on the barrier gestures, on the organization of work; in the other, no social dialogue ", he estimated.

As the containment is lifted, the secretary general of the CGT-Cheminots, Laurent Brun, suggested on Friday that SNCF agents could refuse work for lack of sufficient sanitary measures to protect them.

For the CFDT, "the idea is not to start brandishing threats not to make public transport services work (...) but first to ensure that the means of protecting workers are together, "said Berger. "Where that will not be enough, the CFDT has no mood to say that we cannot resume activity", when there is "no effort from the company" , he added.

Regarding the return of students to school, the number one of the CFDT also said "puzzled" on the principle of volunteering mentioned by the government. He called for discussions "with all the professionals" to avoid any "unilateral" decision.

Asked about the monitoring committee for financial support measures for companies facing the covid-19 epidemic, which has just been created and is not made up of any trade union organization, Laurent Berger denounced "a total aberration".

"The CFDT does not question aid to companies, but there is no question that, in the monitoring of this aid, there are no workers' representatives," he said, asking that "union organizations are present on this committee". The latter, chaired by economist Benoît Coeuré, includes 14 members including representatives of employers and associations of elected officials.

On the major reforms, Mr. Berger estimated that it will be necessary "to give up the reform of unemployment insurance like that of the APL", while "that of pensions will fall, in fact", faced with the cost of crisis caused by the covid-19 epidemic, even if the CFDT remains in favor of a universal retirement system which it considers "fairer".

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