The French government opens a meeting with the unions for the first time

Since before that, the reform of the pension system was presented in the Council of Ministers, the Government and the trade unions they didn’t speak. And now that the law has been approved thanks to the failure of a motion of no confidence in the executive, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has decided to pick up the phone and call union leaders into a meeting, which could end up in the dialogue of the deaf. But the head of government wants to calm the tension, after ten days of urban violence, and must take the initiative given the fragile position in which she finds herself. The meeting does not yet have a fixed date, it is only known that it will take place between Monday and Wednesday.

for now, CFDT, the reformist and majority union, accepted the proposal. Their leader, Laurent Berger, He said that he would come to that meeting “to explain why this reform causes so many protests, why it is unfair and why it is necessary to find a way out and not wait for the social movement to rot, because that will not happen”.

Berger, who at all costs wants to keep his pension at the age of 62, proposed on Tuesday the mediation of two or three people between the Executive Power and the trade union to get out of the blockade, and although that proposal was immediately rejected by the Government spokesman, they plan to renew it.

Other trade unions he didn’t answer still affirmatively at Borne’s call. According to Murielle Guilbert, co-delegate of the Solidaires union, “we still have to set the conditions” before we sit down at the same table. and the same opinion François Hommerilpresident of the CFE-CGC director’s union.

A key exception

The Matignon palace did not set the agenda and, although he assured that the trade unions would be able to solve all the issues they wanted, the minister for relations with the parliament, Frank Riesterhe already clarified that there will be an exception: legal retirement age at 64because that is the “heart of the reform” and there is nothing to agree on.

It remains to be seen what position the CGT will take. His general secretary, Philippe Martinezis leaving office and his successor could adopt a tougher and more combative line, such as that which some federations have already adopted, outside of inter-union mobilization.

Those involved in the dialogue will be opinion oriented of the Constitutional Council, which will be announced on April 14. According to the BFMTV poll, 63% of the French still approve of the mobilization against Macron’s pension reform.

wounded and arrested

The tenth day of mobilization in France ended on Tuesday 201 arrested and 175 injured police officers. Clashes were not limited to the mobilization against the pension reform, but also took place at the environmental protest on Saturday in Sainte Soline against an irrigation dam project, resulting in dozens of injuries, including two protesters who in a coma after he was allegedly attacked by gendarmes.

The families of the two hospitalized men have filed charges of attempted murder amid controversy over the disproportionate use of force by police.