Pensions Conclave: the CFDT's Gamble

Published on June 17, 2025 at 2:10 p.m.

Patrick Martin, President of Medef and Marylise Léon, Secretary General of the CFDT, during a conference on public finances and the budget, in Paris, April 15, 2025. — Patrick Martin, President of Medef (French Trade Union Federation) and Marylise Léon, General Secretary of the CFDT (French Federation of Labour), during a conference on public finances and the budget, in Paris, on April 15, 2025. VINCENT ISORE / VINCENT ISORE/IP3

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Analysis The reformist central party chose to negotiate to the end during the "conclave" on pensions, in order to impose its priorities on the social partners and to establish its role in steering social policies.

Habemus pensiones ? The pension "conclave" is drawing to a close and should appear as a victory for the CFDT (French Confederation of Labour). After nearly six months of negotiations, the reformist union has established itself at the center of the political game in the mother of all social battles, imposing its priorities on all social partners. To the credit of France's leading union: early retirement for arduous jobs (carrying heavy loads, difficult postures, or exposure to vibrations – three criteria removed in 2018) and the reduction of the gender pension gap (on average, women receive €1,310 per month, compared to €2,090 for men). But there is no turning back on the legal retirement age, raised to 64 by the 2023 reform, the revision of which was a red rag in the eyes of the Medef bosses. This is the ambivalence of the compromise. And the main criticism leveled at the CFDT by those who advocate a more radical line: "We are adopting a reformist line and a strategy of step-by-step consultation," proclaims Yvan Ricordeau, the CFDT negotiator sent to the conclave.

When François Bayrou announced in January that he was "restarting" the highly unpopular pension reform, entrusting unions and employers with the task of negotiating changes "without any taboos, not even age," he was trying to give a pledge to the Socialist Party (PS) to avoid the censure that had been hanging over him since his appointment. A successful bet! In the process, the new Prime Minister is shaking up the unions, who have constantly...

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