After playing the balancingists, François Bayrou decided on Sunday March 16: there will be no return to the retirement age at 62. The mayor of Pau thus jeopardizes the future of the “conclave” on the reform of 2023, by drawing the wrath of unions and oppositions. “It’s scandalous,” castigated AFP Denis Gravouil, the CGT negotiator on pensions. She had already called in late February to mobilization, on March 8 and then March 20, “to win the reform of the reform” of 2023. On the CFDT side, Yvan Ricordeau judged him the words of François Bayrou “incomprehensible”: “It is the same Prime Minister who decided a conclave where all the subjects would be opened, including the retirement age […] He therefore contradicts himself twice at the risk of torpedoing discussions, “he added. The president of the French Confederation of Management-Confecture General of Managers (CFE-CGC), François Manril added to Franceinfo that he was” quite possible to return to 62 “.
In order to avoid political and social conflagration, the Minister of the Economy, Eric Lombard, tried to be reassuring. The “Techno” said on BFMTV that it was up to the social partners to decide “of the outcome of this” conclave “.” The position of the government is that the conclave must decide and this commitment to the conclave will have considerable strength “, he hammered, without taking over the declarations of the Prime Minister.
Seeking to avoid the censorship of the Socialist Party, François Bayrou had reopened in January the reform file led by Elisabeth Borne, and entrusted to the social partners the task of trying to reach a new agreement. The consultations of the social partners began on February 27, unions and employers being supposed to meet each Thursday at least until the end of May – even if Force Ouvrière (FO) immediately slammed the door. But the new international deal opened by Donald Trump’s accession to power led the President of the Republic to wish on March 5 “new investments” and “new budgetary choices”, raising fears of a part of the social body and the political class that the French social model pays the price.
“A contempt for social partners”
The left was quick to react. “The conclave is over. Bayrou said no to the repeal of retirement at 64,” reacted on X LFI leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, denouncing a “foutage of mouth”. Same indignation expressed in the deputy (LFI) David Guiraud: “The non-censorship of the Socialist party is expensive to the French people. And the pretext of the war to destroy our social achievements continues.” The boss of the rebellious in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, also sent some tackles to the PS and accused the Prime Minister of “lying and betraying his commitment to pensions”.
For his part, the socialist deputy Jérôme Guedj, spearhead of his party on the question of pensions, criticized on X a “fault” and “a contempt for the social partners”, when the boss of PS Olivier Faure hammered that “the defense cannot serve as a pretext for the acceleration of a policy of removing rights”.
On the far right, the vice-president of the national rally, Sébastien Chenu, also judged that this outing meant the “end of the conclave”, implying that this did not argue in favor of a lasting maintenance of François Bayrou in Matignon. “He does not take a step towards the idea of staying as long as possible in place,” quipped the RN deputy on the BFMTV set this Sunday. Way of threatening the head of government with possible censorship by Jordan Bardella’s party.
Conversely, the Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad welcomed a “speech of truth” of the Prime Minister: “The geopolitical context requires a reflection on the financing of the rearmament, at the national level as European level”, he wrote on X. François Bayrou also received this Monday morning the support of the Minister of Public Accounts: “Retirement at 62, with the framing which was set to return to the balance of the pensions system in 2030, it is not that it is not finished, it is not done, it is not done,” Estimated Amélie de Montchalin on Europe 1.