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French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, December 19, 2019 after a meeting with the unions. Reuters / Martin Bureau / POOL

There is still no truce with regard to strikes and the mobilization against pension reform in France. However, negotiations will not officially resume until January 7. The government announced it on the evening of December 23 so as not to be accused of letting the situation get worse and presented a tight schedule.

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe wants to go fast. He does not hide it and it must be said that time is running out. The pension reform must be presented to the Council of Ministers on January 22 before being examined by the National Assembly in February.

Several ministers will therefore be mobilized from January 7 to receive the social partners. Themed meetings, starting with a meeting devoted to arduousness led by the Ministers of Labor and Health, Muriel Pénicaud and Agnès Buzyn as well as by the Secretary of State Olivier Dussopt and by Laurent Pietraszewski , Jean-Paul's successor Delevoye. The new “ M. government pensions ” will also organize bilateral meetings on minimum pensions and the transition to the new system.

Ministers hired by sector

At the same time, several ministers will receive the trade union organizations from their sector. The message is clear: everyone is on deck and Édouard Philippe remains on the move. Even if he does not have an official meeting on his agenda, he continues his consultations, says Matignon. And he will propose a working method concerning the financial balance of the pension scheme, the central and thorny point of the project, during the week of January 6.

For their part, the unions are calling for a fourth big day of mobilization on January 9.