Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt after a meeting with union representatives at Matignon, April 5, 2023 in Paris (AFP/BERTRAND GUAY)
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called on Friday not to “rush things” and to respect “a period of convalescence” to prevent the unions from “coming out humiliated” from the pension reform, according to remarks reported by the newspaper Le Monde. .
This very conciliatory tone contrasts with the remarks made by President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday on the sidelines of a trip to China.
He had denied any “democratic crisis in France”, reacting to remarks made by Laurent Berger, head of the first trade union in France, the CFDT. Mr. Macron also assured that he had a clear mandate to reform pensions, and worried about the “violence” which punctuated the disputes.
Ms. Borne insisted on Friday about being “careful not to rush things”, two days after her meeting with the inter-union and a week before the decision of the Constitutional Council on the reform.
In search of the “good timing” to renew the dialogue, Ms. Borne believes that “the unions must not come out humiliated from this sequence” and calls for “respecting a period of convalescence”.
“Before going to find allies to vote on the texts, it is important that we say where we want to go,” she adds, still according to Le Monde. “We must give meaning and breath to the action. I’m not just there to administer the country.”
CFDT General Secretary Laurent Berger (l) and CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet (d) during the meeting of the main unions with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at Matignon, April 5, 2023 in Paris (POOL /AFP/Bertrand GUAY)
This displayed search for appeasement received the endorsement of Mr. Berger who, questioned on BFMTV, however underlined that Mrs. Borne’s remarks did not detract from the substantive disagreements on the reform itself.
The Prime Minister’s remarks are “more respectful than those that came to us from China”, he said. “It’s another thing to add fuel to the fire.”
Mr. Berger, whose relations were particularly strained with Mr. Macron, stressed that “there had never been a problem of respect” with the head of government.
From China, the entourage of the President of the Republic, for his part, assured that Mr. Macron “coordinates” with Ms. Borne, after having given her a “cap” at the end of March by asking to work with the unions on a “roadmap”.
© 2023 AFP
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