For the executive, this decisive week opened with a final meeting with the social partners. Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to present Wednesday the "whole project" of pension reform, Monday, the High Commissioner to pensions Jean-Paul Delevoye and Solidarity Minister Agnès Buzyn received the unions in the afternoon in order to "draw conclusions" from the concerted relaunched in September. A meeting held in the absence of the number 1 of unions, some of which are already thinking of a new day of mobilization Thursday.
A meeting to identify potential points of consensus
While most of the top union leaders were not present, all the invited unions had sent representatives. But at the end of this interview, all the protagonists said: "We have learned nothing new today". The exercise was not this one, and consisted simply of making an inventory of points of consensus and points of divergence at the end of the dialogue led for a little more than two years by Jean-Paul Delevoye.
EDITO - Pension reform: "How to win a social armistice without losing a political battle?"
If some unions are ready to discuss a universal system by points, like the CFDT, others like the CGT or FO, do not want to hear about it and claim the abandonment of the reform prepared by the government. At this meeting, however, it was learned that the government seemed sensitive to the demand for improved family rights and better consideration of hardship.
For Jean-Michel Delevoye, "the status quo is not tenable"
At the end of this meeting, Jean-Paul Delevoye presented his "conclusions", listing the points of agreement and disagreement while considering "indispensable" the reform promised by Emmanuel Macron. In a summary of the consultation conducted under his aegis, the High Commissioner highlights "a strong desire to overcome the limitations of the current system while retaining its DNA", justifying the creation of the "universal system" supposed to replace the 42 regimes of existing retreats. "I am convinced that the status quo is not sustainable, that this project is indispensable and that future generations will be grateful to us," he adds.
Jean-Michel Delevoye says that some of his proposals are rather consensus: maintaining the legal age to 62 years, early departures for long careers and trades "regals", guarantee "in law" than the value of the point " can not fall ", minimum pension to 85% of the Smic for a full career, taken into account for officials hardness and bonuses etc. But other topics are far from unanimous, especially "the entry into force of the new system" from 2025.
Heard on europe1:
We are more in a will to pretend that we are discussing
The high commissioner sketches a new scenario in two stages: "The younger generations could begin to join the universal system, if possible soon after the law", while another date of changeover would be fixed for "the first generation concerned through progressive integration "into this new regime.
Another point of contention: "the age of equilibrium" at age 64, with a haircut before and after premium, "does not reach consensus," recognizes Jean-Michel Delevoye, who believes that its "progressive implementation ( ...) should seem to be preferred "to reduce the overall deficit of the pension system, estimated between 8 and 17 billion euros by 2025.
"There have never been any negotiations", criticizes Philippe Martinez
Invited Monday night in Europe 1, the leader of the CGT has once again denounced the attitude of the government, criticizing his "stubbornness" in the pensions file. Absent the meeting with Jean-Paul Delevoye, Philippe Martinez called the meeting "pseudo restitution of the proposals of unions." "The timetable has been put forward and we have made concrete proposals, particularly on equality between women and men, Jean-Paul Delevoye has just returned the work, he never spoke about it."
"We hear the word 'concertation' for two and a half years," was irritated again Philippe Martinez. "Did Jean-Paul Delevoye talk about the diversity of the proposals?" We are more in a will to pretend we are talking, but we do not hear. everything will happen Wednesday? There has never been a negotiation, "he continued.
What will happen now?
Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron and Édouard Philippe, who have already consulted all weekend, will receive the ministers most concerned by the reform and the leaders of the majority at a dinner of "rigging". Then the Prime Minister will present, Wednesday, "the entire project" of reform. The day before, another big day of strikes and demonstrations is planned.
For its part, the CGT is "already in reflection" for a new day of mobilization Thursday, according to Laurent Brun, number one of the CGT-Cheminots. An inter-union is scheduled Tuesday night at the end of the Paris event planned between Invalides and Denfert-Rochereau.