The movement will continue. While the 12th day of interprofessional mobilization against the pension reform is being held this Thursday, April 13, on the eve of the decision of the Constitutional Council, the CGT is maintaining the course. Its secretary general, Sophie Binet, held a press conference at the incinerator of Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), where many employees are mobilized, during which she recalled the determination of the demonstrators.
No question of a meeting “on something else”
The new general secretary of the union castigated proposals “completely disconnected from the President of the Republic” in the face of social protest: “He even managed to explain to us that he was going to receive the union organizations to talk to us about other only retirements, so it shows that he didn’t understand anything about what happened with Elisabeth Borne. »
During a meeting with the Prime Minister on April 5, the intersyndicale left the negotiating table after an hour after the executive maintained its opposition to a withdrawal from the reform. Asked about the presence of the CGT and the inter-union at a possible meeting with the Head of State, she insisted on the need to be able to talk about the reform: “If it is to talk about the withdrawal with great pleasure, otherwise we have other things to do”.
Mobilization maintained, except in the event of withdrawal
The CGT line does not deviate, Sophie Binet still wants the text to be withdrawn. And the decision of the Constitutional Council which must intervene this Friday at the end of the day does not affect the motivation of the unions: “It is not the last day, that I confirm it to you, declared Sophie Binet. Unless Emmanuel Macron withdraws the pension reform. »
“He must not promulgate this law, otherwise he will not be able to lead the country”, hammered Sophie Binet in Ivry-sur-Seine. It should however be noted that in the event of validation of the law by the Constitutional Council, Emmanuel Macron is required by article 10 of the Constitution to promulgate the text within the following 15 days, unless he requests a new deliberation on the text to Parliament. There would still remain the possibility, like Jacques Chirac in 2006 with the CPE, that the President of the Republic promulgates the law, before immediately suspending its application.
“Major popular demonstrations on May 1”
For his part, the secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, said on Thursday that the union fight against the pension reform was “far from over”, projecting himself towards “major popular demonstrations on May 1”. On the meeting with the Head of State, Laurent Berger pleaded for a “period of decency”, noting that there are other “ways out” such as recourse to Article 10 to make it possible to propose to the Parliament a new deliberation.
“We will first give him 15 days of reflection to request a new deliberation or decide not to apply the law”, also declared Frédéric Souillot (FO). The unions are counting on a minimum of a green light from the Elders for the shared initiative referendum (RIP). “If we don’t have at least the RIP, then social anger will be very strong,” warned Cyril Chabanier (CFTC).