Pensions Conclave: Can Monday's Final Meeting Result in an Agreement?

Unions, employers, and the government are meeting for a final negotiation session this Monday afternoon. The pension talks could conclude without an agreement being reached.

While the pensions conference was due to end last week, the social partners have decided to hold a final negotiation session this Monday afternoon, starting at 3 p.m.

This conclave was launched by François Bayrou during his general policy statement with the aim of trying to find an agreement between unions and employers to "improve" the 2023 Borne reform. But the Prime Minister has since set a red line on the retirement age, which will remain at 64.

The social partners will attempt to reach an agreement, even if the task appears difficult. The presence of the MEDEF (French employers' association) at this meeting is not fully official, but the movement's leaders meet at 10 a.m. to confirm their presence at the meeting. An absence seems difficult for the MEDEF to envisage, so as not to be seen as responsible for the failure of the meeting.

According to CFTC boss Cyril Chabanier, a guest on RMC this Monday morning, the Medef and the CPME will still attend this meeting, and with a "joint proposal."

An agreement is still far from being reached. Discussions appear to be at a standstill, particularly on the issue of arduous work. According to the newspaper La Tribune Dimanche, the Medef (French employers' association) is ready to make a gesture in the final stages: agreeing to include arduous work as a criterion for early retirement, but without going any further.

It is not certain that this proposal will be enough to convince the unions. This conclave convened by Prime Minister François Bayrou could therefore conclude without any agreement.

"I'm not very optimistic, but a lot of negotiations are taking place in the final stretch, so it's still possible," said Cyril Chabanier of the CFTC.