LIVE. 2026 Budget: "We must stop asking us to work more to earn less," responds Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT (General Confederation of Trade Unions).

She denounces "unfair and violent measures for the country." A guest on RTL on Wednesday, July 16, the general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, rejected the avenues proposed by the Prime Minister on Tuesday to achieve more than 40 billion euros in savings on the 2026 budget . "The copy that François Bayrou is presenting to us is much worse than that of Michel Barnier last year," she judged, mentioning the former head of government.

To improve national productivity, the government is proposing the elimination of two public holidays. "Our days off are deserved; we must stop asking us to work more to earn less," demanded Sophie Binet, who instead emphasizes the protection of employees and the fight against unemployment. Follow our live coverage.

"A blank year" to stem the deficit. In order to bring the French public deficit down to 4.6% of GDP next year, compared to 5.8% in 2024, François Bayrou listed numerous measures on Tuesday, including "the rule of not replacing one in three civil servants retiring ," applied for the coming years. He also proposed "a blank year" in 2026, without an increase in social benefits or retirement pensions.

Two public holidays in the Prime Minister's sights. The proposal is causing a stir , but François Bayrou is taking responsibility. In order to "work more" to "produce more" , the head of government wants to eliminate two public holidays: Easter Monday, "which has no religious significance" , and May 8, the day of the armistice of the Second World War. According to the Prime Minister, the "month of May has become a real Swiss cheese, where people jump from bridge to viaduct on holiday" .

Too much effort for the State? For the President of the Court of Auditors, Pierre Moscovici, the government's options rely "a lot on the State" , notably through the elimination of 3,000 public sector jobs and the failure to replace one in three civil servants retiring. "It is the State that is affected, much more than local authorities and much more than Social Security and Health Insurance" , he stated. However, "the State has already contributed quite a bit over the last two years" , judges Pierre Moscovici, who approves of the efforts requested by the Prime Minister, but calls for "structural measures" .

Threats of censorship are already on the table. The avenues unveiled by the Prime Minister have provoked a strong reaction from the opposition and some unions. On the left, from the Socialist Party to La France Insoumise, condemnations are pouring in. "Bayrou is announcing a dark year," denounced LFI MP François Ruffin. "If this is the government's final draft (...), everything is on the table, including censorship," warned his socialist colleague Arthur Delaporte, also national secretary of the Socialist Party. On the far right, the National Rally is making a similar threat. "If François Bayrou doesn't revise his draft, we will censor him," announced the president of the RN group (New window) in the Assembly, Marine Le Pen.