Isolated political coup or springboard for Renaissance? The debate on wages was not on the agenda of the executive office of the presidential party, Thursday, October 27, in the evening. He was suddenly invited by the voice of Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Secretary General in charge of the pole of elected officials. “People take inflation in the face. The state is doing its part, but they also have to turn to the bosses,” argued the ex-mayor of Tourcoing (Nord) who came from the Les Républicains party, wishing to embody what he calls the social right, and who says to himself in private “the most left-wing man in government after Dussopt”.
Why not start a “great salary conference”he pleaded, aimed at pressuring bosses to raise wages and pay themselves revenue “decent” ? A veiled allusion to the remuneration of Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, of nearly 6 million euros. « J’assume », pushed the latter to the Monde.
The initiative of the Minister of the Interior came as Pascal Canfin, MEP in charge, within Renaissance, of relations with the government, has just been commissioned by the presidential party on the question of superdividends. It is up to him to take up the proposal of Jean-Paul Mattei, leader of the MoDem deputies, of an increase in taxation, yet roundly dismissed by the executive. In what form ? The party ignores this but specifies that “the discussion is broader than that of the Mattei amendment”.
Absent Thursday evening, Bruno Le Maire, in charge of the ideas pole, could not oppose either this mission on superdividends, or the inclinations of Gérald Darmanin on his favorite terrain. On October 17, the Minister of the Economy swept aside the idea of an increase in the taxation of exceptional dividends, which he equates to “deceptions”before putting his resignation in the balance under the nose of Elisabeth Borne. “Unfavourable”warns Friday his entourage, annoyed, to any increase in taxes and any general increase in wages. « C’est not », insists a close friend of the boss of Bercy. Instead, profit-sharing mechanisms such as the “employee dividend” are mentioned, a campaign promise that Emmanuel Macron mentioned on France 2 on Wednesday.
Counterbalance the executive’s pro-business rhetoric
The creation of wealth within companies must allow investment, explained the Head of State, but “It doesn’t work if we give too much to the shareholders and the workers don’t see the color of it”. It proposes a mandatory mechanism that would link the payment of dividends to shareholders and the reward of employees. Olivier Dussopt, Minister of Labor, has initiated a consultation with the social partners on the sharing of value – in which all participate, except the CGT – and expects their return by January 31. Without much hope, we whisper within the executive, faced with the reluctance of employers.
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