A meeting this Wednesday between French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born and trade unions over the crisis caused by social security reform ended in a “failure,” trade union activists assured.
The government, which approved the reform without a vote in the National Assembly, hoped to find common ground, while unions demand the repeal of the law introduced by French President Emmanuel Macron, which increases the age of reforms in the country. .
The meeting with Elizabeth Bourne – the first since early January – lasted less than an hour and ended in failure, according to eight trade union organizations.
“We repeated to the Prime Minister that there can be no other democratic solution unless the text is withdrawn. The Prime Minister responded that she wants to keep her text, a serious decision,” Cyril Chabanier, president of the CFTC union, said in the name of other organizations.
Union members have warned they will leave the meeting if Elisabeth Bourne refuses to talk about raising the retirement age, the main measure of the reshuffle that has fueled protests in France for weeks now.
The 11th trade union mobilization is scheduled for this Thursday.
The prime minister, who hosted the organizations for the first time since January 10, promised to listen to everything despite “points of disagreement” and hoped he could discuss other reforms about to take place.
The controversial pension reform sparked an unprecedented near-weekly mobilization in France, bringing about 1.3 million people into the streets on March 7, according to authorities.
Demonstrations intensified after the approval without a vote of reform in Parliament based on Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, accompanied by violence and arrests in several French cities.
Trade unions and the government are waiting for the decision of the Constitutional Council, which will say on April 14 whether this reform is in line with France’s fundamental law.
On the same day, the Constitutional Council will decide on the validity of the text submitted by the left opposition, which could open the way to a referendum on pensions.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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