The government brings together unions and employers on Monday to discuss wages

While a national mobilization was taking place, Sébastien Lecornu announced Thursday the holding of a social conference. To discuss French wages with unions and employers, it will take place on Monday. Set for November 9, this meeting takes place in a context of strong social unrest in the country. Three Saturdays of demonstrations and an inter-union mobilization on Thursday marked it. According to the Ministry of the Interior, during the mobilization of November 5, throughout France, 575,000 demonstrators were recorded.

The government, unions and employers will meet on Monday for a new meeting devoted to wages and purchasing power. After three Saturdays of demonstrations, as well as an inter-union mobilization on Thursday, they must reach an agreement and, above all, take concrete measures quickly.

Union demands and debate on the minimum wage

As this meeting approaches, the unions display a fairly similar state of mind. Through its general secretary Sophie Binet, the CGT is leading the way: "The question being asked today is not 'are we going to win' but 'how much are we going to win?'". Sophie Binet is calling for an increase in the minimum wage of 150 euros. As for Marylise Léon, general secretary of the CFDT, she is calling for a boost of 100 euros as well as concrete answers on the French people's ends of the month.

Faced with an abysmal debt and the need to reduce public deficits, the government finds itself in an impasse. The Prime Minister appears very disarmed, his room for maneuver being very narrow, if not non-existent. The Minister of Labor Jean-Pierre Farandou is also responsible for finalizing, by Sunday evening, consultations on these subjects with employer representatives.

Employers repeat it regularly: in the current situation, it is difficult to make an effort on wages without reducing taxes on work. For SMEs in particular, the current economic context does not allow them to move in this direction without exposing their cash flow and the investments essential to their development.

Employers should seek to obtain, in exchange for a possible increase in the minimum wage, the unfreezing of reductions in charges applicable to low wages and a reduction in contributions for youth employment.

Youth and purchasing power at the heart of the discussions

It seems difficult to imagine that the subject of youth is not on the agenda of this social conference, organized next Monday. The debates should give an important place to the demands of young people, to union demands and to the expectations of the French regarding income.

Machine-translated from French