Pensions: Matignon displays its optimism, the CFDT and the Medef their red lines

Two days before the scheduled end of the pensions conclave, Prime Minister François Bayrou let slip a certain optimism in the press about the chances of an agreement between social partners, but the leaders of the CFDT and MEDEF continue to display their red lines, particularly on hardship.

"I think there's a possibility of finding a dynamic agreement, because what's in the making is the return of social democracy," the head of government said positively, according to La Tribune Dimanche. "While we started from very different positions, it seems to me that things have moved forward somewhat," commented François Bayrou, according to the same source.

"I don't rule out the possibility that they might need a few more days" to reach an agreement, he suggested, in comments quoted this time by Le Parisien on Sunday. The conclave was already initially scheduled to end on May 28. "They have a 50/50 chance of success," Renaissance MP Roland Lescure predicted on France 3.

The Modem leader, who has just celebrated his six-month term at Matignon, is entering a politically delicate period between the end of the conclave and its possible legislative translation, as well as the preparation of the State and Social Security budgets, against a backdrop of severely deteriorating public finances. All this under the threat of censure from a National Assembly without a majority.

"This conclave was set up with the aim of being able to discuss the retirement age. Today this demand has disappeared, I will never be satisfied with a minimal agreement on a few measures. In the National Assembly, I will defend the repeal of the pension reform," warned the national coordinator of La France insoumise Manuel Bompard on BFMTV .

Still very unpopular, the pension reform which pushes back the retirement age to 64 years was contested in the streets at the beginning of 2023 by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators and all the employee unions, before being adopted without a vote by Parliament thanks to Article 49.3 of the Constitution.

Although the prospect of returning to the postponement of the legal retirement age seems illusory, given the departures from the conclave of certain organisations such as FO, CGT or U2P bosses, and given the firm opposition of the Medef, other subjects were put on the table, such as arduousness, women's careers, long careers or the question of the reduction.

Two days before the final meeting of the conclave, a reform of the arduousness component is at the heart of the hypothetical compromise. "There will be no agreement with the CFDT if employers don't make more progress on arduousness, if they don't make progress on the compensation component," warned Marylise Léon, head of the CFDT, in the Tribune Dimanche.

"Today, his position is unacceptable. He must accept early retirement for employees exposed to hardship," according to the union leader, who explains that "taking into account compensation is essential, because employers are not doing enough prevention." Medef president Patrick Martin, also interviewed by the same newspaper, believes that employers are "already taking a huge step forward," recalling that "we were opposed to any change in professional attrition."

On the subject of hardship and wear and tear, the Medef proposes in particular to review the professional prevention account so that it takes into account the handling of heavy loads, awkward postures or mechanical vibrations, an opening vis-à-vis the CFDT which has long called for these three criteria to be taken into account.

The employers' organization also proposes "modifying the incapacity/disability system, which currently affects nearly one in seven people who take their retirement," by "lowering the retirement age from 62 to 61."

To encourage an agreement, according to La Tribune Dimanche, Prime Minister François Bayrou is "considering the introduction of a senior bonus, in addition to existing premiums, to encourage them to work beyond the legal age." When questioned, Matignon replied that "at this stage, no measures have been taken" and that "the decisions will be made by the Prime Minister and presented in mid-July."