2024-11-08 17:50:00
The employers had introduced a saving measure on the special unemployment compensation scheme for intermittent workers in the latest project sent to the unions on Wednesday evening. Enough to liven up the surroundings of the Unédic headquarters, where the penultimate negotiation session on unemployment insurance took place this Friday: the CGT spectacle immediately called for mobilization.
The measure also animated the discussions. Well, not for long… Faced with union hostility, company representatives quickly backed down. This withdrawal is the only concrete result of the penultimate negotiation meeting between the social partners on unemployment insurance.
Two embedded negotiations
We will have to wait to see if, beyond that, the draft amendment to the agreement of November 23, 2023 evolves, since the employers have committed to transmitting a new version on Tuesday November 12 afternoon or even in the evening. This will be two days before the last negotiation session, which will take place on November 14, just after the last meeting on seniors, the two negotiations being embedded.
Its leader (Medef) seemed to believe it at the end of Friday’s meeting, although it lasted barely more than two hours. It “allows us to envisage a work meeting which could be positive next week with some elements of technical adjustment or timing”, estimated Hubert Mongon.
Intermittent workers removed from the text, the discussion focused on the two other cost-saving measures envisaged, starting with the raising of the age limits for the senior sector, following the increase in the legal retirement age to 64 years. The CFDT and Force Ouvrière, whose signature is essential to ensure a majority agreement with the CFTC, have each in their own way insisted on the need for the measures not to be definitive but for it to be expected that they will be called into question in case of reduction in the legal retirement age. “The employers are aware that there is a debate at the moment on this subject,” quipped Michel Beaugas, the Force Ouvrière negotiator.
Multiplication of social plans
A tougher approach to the senior sector is made even more difficult today, on the union side, by the succession of announcements of layoffs and its share of older employees who find themselves left behind. What Denis Gravouil, the CGT negotiator, did not hesitate to point out, who has been warning for several months about the multiplication of social plans.
On cross-border workers, if the CFE-CGC, non-signatory of the 2023 agreement, recalled that it defended the track – its negotiator Jean-François Foucard even published an article on the subject in “Les Echos” -, this is not the case with the CFDT and Force Ouvrière, nor with the CFTC. But they resolved to do so, suggesting ways to limit the impact on cross-border workers: raising the minimum compensation, changing the reference salary, etc.
The CFDT negotiator summed up the situation in one sentence: “we are well aware that we have to make savings to meet the request of the Minister of Labor”, explained Olivier Guivarch, in reference to the approximately 400 million additional euros required by the government.
Friday’s meeting brought to light a new issue: the method of calculating future savings. Should we calculate them for the year 2025 or once the measures have produced their full effect? In the second case, knowing that Unédic has reassessed the savings that the monthly payment of benefits will provide by 200 million euros, the social partners arrive at the sum of 630 million euros, Force Ouvrière calculated. This will be much more than what the Minister of Labor is asking for in the end. The question is whether they will be able to convince her.
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**Interview with Michel Beaugas, Negotiator for Force Ouvrière**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Michel. It seems there has been quite a lot of activity regarding the unemployment insurance negotiations. Can you tell us what happened during the recent meeting at Unédic?
**Michel Beaugas:** Thank you for having me. Yes, the latest negotiation session was indeed eventful. Employers proposed a cost-saving measure that would impact the special unemployment compensation scheme for intermittent workers. However, this sparked a strong backlash from the unions, leading the employers to withdraw the proposal almost immediately. It was a clear sign of the unions’ resolve.
**Editor:** Interesting. What do you believe is the significance of this withdrawal?
**Michel Beaugas:** The withdrawal demonstrates that the unions are united and ready to mobilize when necessary. It also highlights the delicate balance that needs to be struck in these negotiations. While there are cost-reduction efforts on the table, we must ensure that they don’t disproportionately affect vulnerable workers like those in intermittent employment.
**Editor:** You mentioned that the negotiations are interlinked with discussions about the retirement age as well. Can you elaborate on that?
**Michel Beaugas:** Absolutely. With the legal retirement age now set at 64, this affects the age limits for unemployment benefits in the senior sector. Both the CFDT and we at Force Ouvrière emphasized that any changes should not be permanent. If the legal retirement age were to decrease, we argued that these measures should also be revisited. This is a crucial point for negotiations moving forward.
**Editor:** It seems that there is a lot at stake in these discussions. What are the next steps?
**Michel Beaugas:** The employers have committed to revising their proposal and sharing a new version soon. We have another negotiation session set for November 14, and it’s important that all parties continue to engage constructively. Our goal is to arrive at an agreement that is fair and provides security for all workers.
**Editor:** Thank you, Michel. We appreciate your insights and look forward to seeing how this situation unfolds in the coming weeks.
**Michel Beaugas:** Thank you for covering this important issue. It’s vital that we keep the focus on ensuring a robust safety net for all workers in France.
