Pension reform: reformist unions, CFDT in the lead, join the protest

The speech of Édouard Philippe pronounced Wednesday, December 11 on the pension reform does not pass on the side of the unions. The prospect of an "age of equilibrium" at age 64 in 2027 has angered unions, including partisan organizations for universal point retirement, such as the CFDT and the CFTC. The latter are now calling to join the mobilization on December 17th.

"There was a red line in this reform, it was not to mix the need for systemic reform (...) and parametric reform that would require workers to work longer, this red line is crossed "reacted Laurent Berger, very angry at the end of the Prime Minister's speech.

For his part, Édouard Philippe said he was "firm" on the principle of a universal retirement system but "not closed" to the discussion with the trade unions.

With the universal #retirement system, everyone will win. The current system is a lot of losers and it is not balanced, leaving our children to pay the debt that we did not want to pay. # Le20H pic.twitter.com/loxbQv1epG

Call for mobilization on December 17

After a national office, the first French trade union called in the evening "all workers to mobilize on December 17", scheduled for the next mobilization by opponents of the reform. The CFDT demands that the government "renounce all age measurement and reopen discussions for a truly just universal pension system".

Another supporter of the universal system, the CFTC also called to join the mobilization of December 17, refusing "the pivotal age as announced by the Prime Minister even before the establishment of the future governance" of the new regime.

Even "disappointment" for Unsa's secretary general, Laurent Escure, who was also not opposed to the points system. "We had the unpleasant surprise, which is a red line for us, which is the question of the measure of age," he said.

Unsurprisingly, unions opposed to the very principle of point-based retirement felt that they were strengthened in their analysis.

"The government is stubborn on its plan single point scheme and does not want to measure the mobilization expressed by employees on strike," lamented the inter-union (FO-CGT-FSU-Solidarity and four youth organizations ). The trade union organizations reaffirm "their call to reinforce the mobilization by the strike and its renewal when the employees decide it and by the demonstrations in particular on December 12 and 17".

The decline of the government

On December 17, "there will be only Medef will not be on strike," quipped in the evening on LCI the number one CGT, Philippe Martinez. For its part, Force Ouvrière sees in the decline of the government on the implementation of the reform (from generation 1963 to 1975) "a consequence of the exceptional mobilization" committed on December 5th.

The CFE-CGC also remains "in the camp of the opponents", according to its president François Hommeril, who judges the "reform more and more dangerous".

In the civil service, the announcement of the "sanctuarisation" of the level of pensions of teachers, with a gradual revaluation from 2021, has not satisfied either.

"Discontent and determination remain intact," responded Bernadette Groison, secretary general of the FSU, the first union federation among teachers. "We still do not know what Philippe proposes to offset the end of the calculation of pensions over the last six months," she said.

"With regard to the announced career upgrades - which forget many professional categories - how to give the slightest credit to interlocutors who systematically refuse for years the slightest increase in the value of the point, a cost however much lower? ", reacted the inter-union of the civil service (CGT, FA, FO, FSU and Solidaires).

"We go to the wall"

In state-owned companies, the main unions also expressed their dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister's speech, which reaffirmed his desire to put an end to special regimes.

For the CGT federation of railway workers, "the announcements of the Prime Minister must encourage employees to strengthen the strike," said its secretary general, Laurent Brun. "There, I think we are going into the wall," said Bruno Poncet, federal secretary of Sud-Rail.

The Unsa, the first RATP union, calls for "to install the mobilization in the long term" and "to expand the movement beyond transport," said its secretary general, Thierry Babec.

"What has been retained (of the speech) is the end of the special regimes and the end of the statutes.This is a declaration of war," responded Sébastien Menesplier, Federal Secretary CGT Energy.

The government has hardly achieved more success among the liberal professions, like the lawyers who will vote "actions this Friday".

With AFP

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