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The French Minister for the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, leaving the Elysée Palace, April 24, 2019. AFP / Ludovic Marin

The Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire welcomes the idea of ​​convening a "financing conference" on the sidelines of the pension reform. This idea was emitted on Sunday January 5 on France 2 by the general secretary of the CFDT union Laurent Berger, who opposes the reform project in the state because of the pivotal age measure.

The pivotal age at 64 continues to be a red line for the first union in France. Laurent Berger, the general secretary of the CFDT , recalled it on France 2 Sunday evening. For him, it is an “ unjust ” and “ unnecessary ” measure. But not to seem to engage in consultations without new proposals. He pulled out of his hat the idea of ​​a pension funding conference. “ We are convening a retirement financing conference which, until the end of July, the end of September, is working on proposals for the balance of the plan in the medium and long term. We refer this to a conference and focus on the universal pension system to make it as fair and as readable as possible, ”he proposed.

The next morning, invited to react on France Inter to Laurent Berger's proposal, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire rejected the withdrawal of the pivotal age as a prerequisite for this conference: " Let’s not put a prerequisite for a conference which must relate to the financing of pensions. Because our responsibility towards the generations to come. It is to guarantee them that this pay-as-you-go pension system, which is fundamentally fairer than the one that exists today, is well funded. So muddy for this conference, but let's not prejudge the results in advance, ” he replied.

For unions most committed to opposition to the reform such as Force Ouvrière, this proposal for a funding conference is unacceptable if it is used to get the whole new plan through.

The president of the LREM group in the National Assembly, Gilles Le Gendre, responded favorably to Laurent Berger if this conference " allows us to move forward " and " to build this political agreement that we want " to get out of the showdown between government and unions that has been going on for over a month. This proposal for a conference on the financing of the pension system comes on the eve of planned consultations at the Ministry of Labor with the unions on the arduousness and employment of seniors.

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