Taking the political and trade union world by surprise, Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday the postponement to January 10 of the presentation of the pension reform, saying he wanted to give the social partners and the new LR and EELV leaders time. “to change” with the executive on this highly contested text.
“This allows us to have a few more weeks so that those who (…) have just taken on responsibilities can, on some key elements of the reform, discuss with the government”, declared the Head of State opening the second plenary session of the National Council for Refoundation (CNR) at the Élysée.
“The surprise effect is sought and assumed”, explains to AFP an adviser to the executive. By doing this, “the president in a certain way forces everyone (…) to position themselves and take their responsibilities”.
And this postponement, in the end, “do not change anything on the calendar”with the entry into force of the reform always planned “in the summer”he adds.
Emmanuel Macron justified himself by referring to the elections in the public service which “prevented certain discussions with the trade unions” and the political congresses of last weekend, at the end of which Eric Ciotti was elected head of the Republicans and Marine Tondelier appointed national secretary of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts.
“The government does not yet know very well where it is going. Their text is not ready”reacted to AFP the deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes. “For the moment, I feel this as an alibi for hesitation, more than a concern for negotiation”.
The executive had originally planned to present this Thursday, a few days before Christmas, the main lines of this text, the cornerstone of Emmanuel Macron’s second five-year term.
Many opponents have announced that they are preparing to block it by all means, from the streets to Parliament, the rebellious France calling in particular for a mobilization on January 21, in line with its “march against the high cost of living”.
“First victory!”
“First victory! The retirement project at 65 has not yet been presented and Macron is already retreating”reacted on Twitter Mathilde Panot, head of the LFI deputies, confirming the action of January 21.
The government quickly specified the timetable for the next few weeks.
Elisabeth Borne will start “a series of meetings with the presidents of parliamentary groups” Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to Matignon. She will receive again “professional organizations and trade unions the week of January 2”.
The text should then be adopted by the Council of Ministers on January 18 or 25.
To prepare the spirits, the executive multiplies the interviews with the press, the work meetings at Matignon and the dinners at the top at the Élysée.
But the announcements of the Prime Minister seem to be a foregone conclusion, marked by the presidential promise to push back the legal age from 62 to 64 or even 65 years old. This last hypothesis holds the rope.
“Febrility”
The trade unions have acted on the postponement, questioning the motivations of the government.
“I think the executive is very worried – and he’s right – about what the mobilization will be like in January”, noted François Hommeril, president of the CFE-CGC. He “has put himself in an impasse (…) Extending this consultation for two weeks or a month does not change anything”.
Same story on the side of the CGT which deplores “a bizarre announcement” showing “the feverishness” of the government. “They see that they are not winning ideologically on the reform. The population remains opposed”, estimated the confederal secretary, Céline Verzeletti.
On the side of the CFTC, we wanted to be a little more optimistic. “It’s a good thing. The agenda was going too fast, we didn’t have time to be listened to, we were working in a hurry”, reacted Pascale Coton, vice-president of the organization. “We hope it’s not just so that the French have a good holiday and a good party”.
“If the government takes time to listen to us, maybe we can convince them. But if it’s just to save time…”said Dominique Corona, deputy secretary general of Unsa.
Despite this postponement, the government still wants to move quickly with a bill in January, a vote in the spring, entry into force in the summer. An emergency justified for the executive by the lasting return of massive deficits, which would exceed 12 billion in 2027.