Macron calls for a "social conference" on financing the social model

Judging that "our social model is financed too much by work," the president declared that he hoped for the opening "in the coming weeks" of a "project" on the subject, during an interview where he was confronted with the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet.

"I ask the government to open it up with all the union and employer forces," he said, believing that it is necessary to "look for money outside of work alone," particularly through "consumption."

The president also called for the organization of a "negotiation" on "the quality of work and the evolution of forms of work", while "more and more young people (...) do not want to be employees" and "more and more seniors" want to "work differently", according to him.

Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, responded "no" to Sophie Binet's request to organize a referendum on the repeal of the pension reform, which had given rise to a very large mobilization in the streets in 2023 before being implemented without a vote in Parliament, by Article 49.3 of the Constitution, by the former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

At the beginning of the year, Prime Minister François Bayrou invited the social partners to re-discuss this reform, which raises the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, promising to submit any possible agreement to a vote in Parliament.

"We must see this discussion through to the end," Mr. Macron said. "If you were concerned about the fate of these women and men, you would have stayed at the table to defend them," he told the union leader.

The CGT (General Confederation of Trade Unions) walked out of this "conclave" on March 19, following François Bayrou's repeated refusal to reinstate the age limit of 62. Discussions have since continued with five of the eight social partners, following the departures of the artisans and tradespeople from the U2P and Force Ouvrière unions, and are expected to conclude by the end of May.

"We came away from this meeting without any announcements regarding improvements to the salaries, working conditions, pensions, or benefits of "workers," lamented the CGT leader at the conclusion of the meeting.