The former Minister of Health came "to see if there was a gap between perception of purchasing power and the vision" of the government, he launched in front of the employees and managers of the Triangle cooperative, which brings together 215 craftsmen and 53 employees.

"I am not coming to reassure people, I am coming because I am the spokesperson for the government. (...) But I also want to say: I am the spokesperson for the French (...) and this way of working , it is at least, every week, to go on the ground to meet the employees", he declared to the press.

Sitting in a storage shed, the minister listened to the difficulties encountered by citizens "at the beginning of the middle class".

"The fuel", attacks a first employee, living 50 km from his work.

The minister then resumes his spokesperson hat to explain the upcoming fuel cuts.

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After an exchange with a second employee, living even further away, Mr. Véran then places government aid to go electric.

"If you make a business plan, you will see that in two years, it is very profitable," he insists.

He is then arrested by a 25-year-old employee who is reluctant to have a child with her companion because, despite two salaries, the couple cannot buy housing.

"Tomorrow we will have to do more on the issue," he promises.

"We chatted casually for more than an hour (...) They tell us that today, living from their profession has become more difficult than before because the price of gasoline has increased", summarizes the minister.

The visit continues to the Family Allowance Fund, in Tours, to meet beneficiaries of the disabled adult allowance (AAH).

Faced with a forty-year-old in a wheelchair, whose wife has been out of work for four years, he replies: "I'm not telling you that we're going to find work by crossing the street (...) but the situation is no longer the same as four years ago.

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"What do you want me to say to the President? What political message do you want me to convey?", he concludes.

Sabrina, CAF employee and beneficiary, answers him in the form of a question: "Is the revaluation of aid sufficient in view of inflation?"

"Factually, we erase inflation for people who receive social benefits. In practice, depending on the use of your car, depending on your lifestyle, you can be impacted differently," he concedes.

© 2022 AFP