Marylise Léon (2nd from left), today general secretary of the CFDT, and Sophie Binet (3rd from left), the leader of the CGT, during a demonstration against pension reform, in Paris, on April 6, 2023 (AFP/Archives/Thomas SAMSON)
The lost battle against pension reform, a preserved union agreement, the future struggles for “purchasing power” or ecology: the leaders of the CFDT and the CGT take stock, for AFP, of their first year at the head of the two main centers.
Sophie Binet succeeded Philippe Martinez on March 31, 2023, at the end of a stormy CGT congress. In mid-April, Marylise Léon was gently appointed to the CFDT after the surprise departure of Laurent Berger, then took the reins of the first French union in June. Since then, the two women have settled in, each with their own style.
– A year of struggles –
Sophie Binet deplores, in an interview with AFP, that the executive has “absolutely not” learned the lessons of the pensions episode and criticizes “always more vertical” power.
She highlights “winning” struggles, from the Eiffel Tower to undocumented immigrants via Valdunes, insisting on a “collective assessment”. On a more personal level, the 42-year-old manager recognizes that managing a power plant, “it’s intense and it’s tiring, but it’s also exhilarating.”
On the CFDT side, which generally highlights its culture of compromise, Marylise Léon assures, in a separate interview, that “post-retirement, the teams still remain very combative, still just as mobilized”. “There is no less combativeness at the CFDT,” insists the 47-year-old manager.
– Union unity –
Sophie Binet praises “sustained” union unity: evidenced by the recent forum of the five major unions against a reform of unemployment insurance or their joint proposals on the “pact for life at work”.
The general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet, photographed in Paris on March 14, 2024 (AFP/JOEL SAGET)
“It’s no longer just a top union unit,” she said, praising “maturity” and “trust” between organizations. However, she admits “a divergence” with the CFDT for whom “union unity is not a permanent objective”.
With the other unions, confirms Marylise Léon, “there is a good understanding, a trust too, which we have managed to maintain, and relationships, despite the fact that we have moved on to something else on the inter-union side”.
– Internally –
Some voices speak of recurring tensions within the CGT. But Sophie Binet highlights “a very united organization”, refuting the idea that it could be cornered by its number two, the former boss of the Cheminots federation Laurent Brun, and that of Energy Sébastien Menesplier.
On the CFDT side, Marylise Léon assures that a year after the departure of Laurent Berger, “internal cohesion is still very strong” with “no questioning” of his leadership. “I think there was some when Laurent (Berger) announced that he was leaving because it was extremely unexpected (…) in a period of great popularity,” she admits.
The two leaders are delighted with the good “dynamic” of memberships, which has continued since the pensions conflict (“almost 70,000” memberships in one year for the CGT, “86 or 87,000” for the CFDT).
– Media presence –
During the pension conflict, Laurent Berger was more visible in the media than Philippe Martinez. Since then, Sophie Binet, who has mastered the art of the “punchline” and multiplies the movements, seems to have gained the upper hand.
The general secretary of the CFDT, Marylise Léon, during the social conference in Paris on October 16, 2023 (POOL/AFP/Archives/Miguel MEDINA)
According to a count carried out on the Tagaday media monitoring platform, Marylise Léon totaled 8,100 spin-offs over one year compared to… 25,000 for Sophie Binet (all media combined).
“I don’t respond to all requests,” explains the number one of the CFDT. “I am not an opponent of Emmanuel Macron. I am not saying that this is what Sophie Binet does, but she is probably perceived as such.”
“I am not in a shallot race with the other trade union organizations,” retorts the leader of the CGT.
– Challenges for the future –
In the short and medium term, the “number one priority” remains “purchasing power”, underlines Marylise Léon, also citing “the quality of work, working conditions”. Another challenge: ecological and digital transformations which will require “enormous adaptation needs and developments”.
Sophie Binet cites the fight “against the extreme right and against extreme money”. Deploring discovering in the press the government’s plans concerning the labor market, in particular “the calling into question of unemployment insurance”.
© 2024 AFP
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