End of reign, yes, defeat no. After leading what will remain his last major political sequence: the battle against pension reform, Laurent Berger leaves the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT). At the head of the first union in France since November 2012, he leaves his place to Marylise Léon, current number two, who will take office on June 21, 2023.
“I said, during our congress in June 2022, in Lyon, that I would leave during my term of office. This is a carefully considered decision, taken at the end of 2021, after discussion with my colleagues of the executive board. It is neither a whim nor a choice dictated by the news”, affirmed the trade unionist in the newspaper The worldwhere he announced his decision.
A few minutes after Emmanuel Macron’s speech, Laurent Berger, had castigated “a speech on the method for a tenth time but nothing concrete”. “I did not try to pull the blanket for myself. That being so, I am very satisfied that the CFDT has provided some leadership, knowing that other organizations are involved”, he detailed to the World about the pension reform, about what will therefore remain as his last fight within the union.
According to him, the sequence was rather positive for his union, although the law was promulgated. “I will leave a CFDT which is doing well. It has 31,000 more members since the beginning of the year. It has created several hundred trade union sections. It is the first trade union organization in this country. It is recognized as a responsible organization , combative, constructive.
The name of Marylise Leon, Deputy Secretary General since 2018, has been circulating for a long time to succeed him. “She is capable, with the team that will be around her, of giving new impetus,” said Mr. Berger, hailing a “dynamic” trade unionist who “has a strong understanding of the world of work”.