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)
Is disagreement simmering at the top of the executive? Elisabeth Borne’s call not to “rush things” with the unions on Friday cast doubt on her relationship with Emmanuel Macron, even if she quickly insisted on her perfect “alignment” with the head of state.
“We discuss regularly with the President of the Republic and I think that we share the same analysis: there is a need for appeasement in the country”, affirmed at the end of the morning the head of government during a trip to Rodez (Aveyron). “We are perfectly aligned on this subject”, she still wanted to defuse, specifying to share “the same objectives” with the head of state.
A clarification made necessary by the media turmoil aroused by remarks distilled Thursday to several media by the Prime Minister. This seemed to mark its difference with Emmanuel Macron by calling for respect “a period of convalescence” in the country after the pension crisis.
With Le Monde, Le Point and RTL, the head of government also pleaded for “not to rush things”. “We must let it rest. The country needs appeasement,” she said, after her meeting on Wednesday with the inter-union, which ended in a statement of disagreements.
Believing that the unions should “not come out humiliated from this sequence”, she had called for “respecting a period of convalescence”.
-“Crepe batter”-
This conciliatory tone was immediately welcomed by CDFT General Secretary Laurent Berger, as it contrasts with the remarks made by the President of the Republic on Wednesday on the sidelines of a trip to China.
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)
The head of state had, via his entourage, denied any “democratic crisis in France” and assured that he had a clear mandate to reform pensions. He had also once again questioned the CFDT, accused of not having proposed an alternative project, triggering the wrath of Laurent Berger who had asked Emmanuel Macron to “keep his nerves”.
“This morning’s message is more respectful than the one that came to us from China”, welcomed Friday morning on BFMTV and RMC the head of the first union in France, whose relations were particularly strained with Emmanuel Macron. On the other hand, there was “never a problem of respect” with the head of government, he added.
“We see that there are tensions within the executive,” said Simon Duteil, co-delegate of Solidaires, on BFMTV. Ms. Borne “talks about convalescence but we are not sick (…) We do not need to rest, we are not pancake batter”, he insisted.
Ms. Borne also seemed to step aside by calling for “a course”. “Before going to find allies to vote on the texts, it is important that we say where we want to go,” she argued. “We must give meaning and breath to the action. I’m not just there to administer the country.”
-“Put corners”-
Unusually, from China, the entourage of the President of the Republic reacted quickly to the declarations of the Prime Minister, just before the meeting of the Head of State with Chinese students in Canton.
French President Emmanuel Macron at Sun Yat-sen University on April 7, 2023 in Guangzhou, China (POOL/AFP/GONZALO FUENTES)
“The President of the Republic coordinates with the Prime Minister. The course was given by the President of the Republic during his interview at 1 p.m. on France 2 and TF1. He asked the Prime Minister to receive the unions and work on a roadmap for the months to come”, firmly reminded the entourage.
Faced with the noise of possible dissension, the secretary general of the Renaissance presidential party Stéphane Séjourné put things into perspective.
“There is a temptation to bring up the Elysée against Matignon, to put corners between the executive. I am in contact with the two, I do not see any problem of line and objectives between the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic”, he assured on Franceinfo.
The government and the unions await Friday, April 14 the crucial decision of the Constitutional Council on the conformity of the pension reform. It will be preceded the day before by a new day of mobilization of the unions, the 12th since January.
© 2023 AFP
Did you like this article ? Share it with your friends with the buttons below.
