Posted 10 Feb. 2023 at 8:00 amUpdated Feb 10. 2023 at 8:43
For an executive who is in the midst of pension reform and seeks to avoid any spark that could ignite the powder, it is an understatement to say that the results this week of TotalEnergies or other large CAC 40 companies were viewed with a touch of ‘anguish.
Because what could be more symbolic to put a coin back in the debate, often lively including in the majority, on the sharing of value? What is more, when the Nupes returns to the charge with amendments to the amending Social Security financing bill (PLFSSR), currently being examined in the Assembly, on the taxation of “superprofits” or “superdividends “.
Employee dividend and “superparticipation”
On the sharing of value precisely, the executive has its eyes riveted on the end of the negotiation this Friday between the social partners. The majority, too. It must be said that several parliamentarians announced this fall to take up the subject and that the Renaissance presidential party, under the aegis of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, in charge of ideas, had entrusted a mission on the subject to the MEP Pascal Canfin to try to get out of the imbroglio caused this autumn by the amendment of the president of the Modem group, Jean-Paul Mattéi, on the taxation of superdividends.
The MEP’s mission had put forward Emmanuel Macron’s campaign promise of employee dividend and “superparticipation”. Here they are, this weekend, all waiting for white smoke or not from the social partners.
Ambition of the agreement scrutinized closely
The Elysée and Matignon would not take a dim view of an agreement between unions and employers on the subject, on the contrary: “This would make it possible to concretize our commitments with real progress at stake for employees, while showing that the reform pensions does not prevent the other files from moving forward”, explains an adviser.
If there is an agreement, it will then be followed by work with the government and parliamentarians for its legislative translation – via the future finance bill and probably also the future employment bill. Without a deal, then the government would start with a clean sheet, except for what had been put into the campaign.
On the majority side, if there is an agreement, will it be enough to exhaust the debates within it? It is too early to say but “the ambition of the agreement”, according to a Renaissance deputy who works on the subject, if there is agreement, will be scrutinized closely. The Renaissance party has planned a convention on the subject on February 20, which is expected among others Bruno Le Maire – who had himself announced this convention – and the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, around round tables “observation” and “prospective”, indicates one of its craftsmen.
“But, admits a government source, if there is an agreement between the social partners, it will be difficult to arrive a few days later and say, ‘we are going to do something else’, especially in the current context. »