"It's true that it revolts me": the abolition of public holidays deemed contrary to her values by a Macronist MP

"I am not advocating for a measure to abolish public holidays; I am against the abolition of public holidays. This is extremely clear because it is contrary to my values," the Nord representative declared on Europe 1.

The Prime Minister has nevertheless invited unions and employers to begin negotiations as soon as the new school year begins, aimed at removing the "public holiday status of two days" – which could be Easter Monday and May 8 – in order to increase the state budget by more than 4 billion euros next year.

"We need to bring money into the coffers, but that means putting more people back to work," objected Violette Spillebout, for whom "the national effort should not be placed on workers."

"These public holidays are a very bad sign from the government, because it's like a sign of defiance towards those who pay the most today. It's true that it revolts me," she added.

To save money, the MP from the Ensemble pour la République group, like its leader Gabriel Attal, has advocated a new reform of unemployment insurance "which makes access to benefits even more restrictive and provides even stronger support [...] for returning to work." On this issue, the former socialist, now close to Gérald Darmanin, is on the same page as François Bayrou, who has asked the social partners for another negotiation with a target of €2 to €2.5 billion in savings by 2026.