Last day of the pensions conclave: the CFDT announces the "failure" of the consultation

The pension conclave ended in "failure," announced Yvan Ricordeau, CFDT negotiator, on Monday evening at the end of the last meeting following four months of consultation between social partners.

"The employers have closed the door on the unions, particularly on the proposal that employees most exposed to hardship should not have to make the same effort as others," declared the CFDT negotiator. "The discussion is over," he added, announcing a "failure of the negotiations."

"The problem we have is that the Medef (the main employers' organization) doesn't look at the reality of the lives of workers who are exposed to hardship," lamented Yvan Ricordeau. This "conclave" brought together two employers' organizations, Medef and CPME, and three unions, CFDT, CFE-CGC, and CFTC.

The idea behind this conclave, called for by Prime Minister François Bayrou , was primarily to try to make the 2023 Borne pension reform, which gradually raises retirement age from 62 to 64, less unpopular. While aiming for financial balance, given that the system is projected to have a deficit of €6.6 billion by 2030.

The end of the conclave is thus a moment of reckoning for François Bayrou, who launched this new format of discussions after a compromise reached with the Socialists to avoid a government censure. The Prime Minister had pledged to present the conclusions to Parliament.

"As long as this conclave does not result in the repeal of the pension reform, we will submit a motion of censure," promised Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La France Insoumise. But LFI would need the support of other groups on the left. And the Socialist Party is divided on the issue.