Pensions: what should we expect from the meeting between Elisabeth Borne and the unions, scheduled for Matignon?

Arthur De Laborde, edited by Alexandre Dalifard 19:54 pm, March 29, 2023

Will dialogue finally take place between the government and the unions? Next week, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invites these same unions to Matignon, probably before the 11th day of mobilization against the pension reform scheduled for Thursday, April 6. For the moment, the day is not yet stopped. But concretely, what room for manoeuvre does the Prime Minister have?

Soothing and act

In reality, it is almost nil. The executive absolutely does not want to go back on the key points of the reform. There is no question, therefore, of moving on the starting age at 64 years. However, the boss of the CFGT, Laurent Berger, promises to slam the door if the point is not mentioned. This is why, at this stage, Matignon remains vague and explains that the agenda of the meeting is not fixed. The Prime Minister's entourage indicates that the discussions will focus on the theme of work, while ensuring that the unions will be able to address all the subjects they want.

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Questioned this Wednesday in the Senate, Elisabeth Borne explained that these discussions with the social partners would be part of the broader framework of the consultations she will conduct in the coming days. "We must appease the country by gathering goodwill. Today, we must not give up acting, on the contrary, we must accelerate, provide concrete answers that improve the daily lives of French people," said the Prime Minister. Appeasement and act with concrete solutions are therefore the two axes on which Elisabeth Borne intends to base the government project and the legislative agenda that Emmanuel Macron has asked her to build in the coming weeks.