To restore purchasing power to the French and fight inflation, the French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire is encouraging companies to get their hands on the wallet and raise wages… for those who can. . He received representatives of employers’ organizations on Monday. They were more cautious about the feasibility of these salary increases, especially in the current context.
The main employers’ organizations: the Medef and the CPME, the Confederation of small and medium-sized enterprises, but also the representatives of the construction, trade and distribution federations, had an appointment Monday in Bercy with Bruno Le Maire.
With inflation close to 5% over one year, the purchasing power of the French is the priority of the new government and companies are invited to make an effort on wages. ” Work must pay and pay wellhammered the Minister of the Economy in front of the bosses. Today many French people say: ‘it costs me too much to work, to take my car, to fill my tank, to feed my family, to pay my rent… I can’t do it anymore!’ This has always been our line of force: work must pay… and there are companies which will be able to increase salaries, which have the means, because they have margins… does not act to weaken VSEs, SMEs, but there are companies that can do it and those that can do it must increase wages ! »
Bruno Le Maire: “Work must pay”
A statement to which François Asselin, head of the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, opposes ” a principle of reality “, at the microphone of Anne Verdaguer, of the economy department. The ongoing war in Ukraine is worrying employers’ organizations, production costs are exploding on the side of raw materials, starting with energy, underlines François Asselin, who recalls that efforts have already been made, in the face of recruitment tensions in some sectors: many companies have already made individual increases, and we must avoid weakening them even more: ” it is a principle of reality, the company can only distribute what it earns! When there is value to be shared, it is an element of motivation for our employees that must be used; when a company is in a slightly more fragile economic situation, the principle of reality is imposed on it. »
Soon a food check
But for Bercy, the response to inflation must be equitably shared, and should not rest only on the state. After the energy bonus, a food check will also soon be put in place, to prevent the purchasing power of the French from deteriorating even further. A bill on purchasing power, “everyday priority” of the French, will be presented to the Council of Ministers before the legislative elections of June 12 and 19, said government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire on Monday after the advice.
A boost check when the cost of food could soar by more than 200 euros per person in 2022 announced credit insurer Allianz Trade in a study on Tuesday. “The prices of food distributors could increase by 8.2%, which would lead to an increase in annual food expenditure of 224 euros per person this year, for a total reaching 2,963 euros”, explains Aurélien Duthoit, sector adviser at Allianz Trade, questioned. by Agence France Presse.
(and with agencies)