United against the pension reform, the unions are also united in the assessment they draw from the debate in the National Assembly on this text. For them, the spectacle offered by the deputies, which ended in noise and fury during the night of Friday 17 to Saturday 18 February, was very often ” ashamed “, according to the formula of Laurent Berger, the number one of the CFDT. Several confederal leaders say, explicitly or in veiled terms, that La France insoumise (LFI) contributed to this fiasco, but the responsibility of the government is also pointed out.
The disappointment of the workers’ organizations stems from the fact that the discussion in the Hemicycle was truncated and stormy. Only two articles, out of the twenty which appear in the bill, could be examined. The most controversial provision – it is mentioned in Article 7 – which postpones the legal retirement age to 64, was not addressed, even though the unions had unanimously wanted a vote.
Guest, Sunday, of BFM-TV, Philippe Martinez expressed his bitterness. In the eyes of the general secretary of the CGT, “there was a desire not to go to article 7 for reasons that are sometimes found on the benches of the National Assembly, in particular at La France insoumise, to appropriate this social movement and to pass trade unions in the background”.
“Lost Opportunity”
Asked if he was angry, Mr. Martinez replied: ” Of course. » “Political forces are trying to replace the trade union organizations or are trying to put themselves forward in relation to the trade union organizations and to those who [manifestent] », he added. The leader of the CGT also deplored that the executive opted for an accelerated procedure, based on article 47.1 of the Constitution, which gives the possibility of limiting to twenty days the work at first reading in the National Assembly.
This double criticism, against the friends of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the power in place, is shared by Cyril Chabanier, the president of the CFTC. “LFI’s strategy of obstruction did not make it possible to consider all the articles and, above all, it prevented the vote on article 7”, he regrets. At the same time, the leader of the Christian center specifies that“there was no urgency justifying the application of section 47.1”. So there is “two leaders” in this chaos, but the unfolding ” distressing “ of the discussion in session “come back to LFI anyway”.
You have 50.81% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.