Pension reform: the Medef puts its foot on the brake

But where has the pension reform gone? Flagship measure of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign , it is struggling to appear on the radar in this political return. To the point that one of its staunchest defenders, the Medef, is now much less going on the subject, resigning itself to betting all its hopes of reform on that of unemployment insurance in the making.

Questioned Monday morning on France Inter, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux, the president of the employers’ organization, was moreover very clear on the file of the pension reform: “This is not what must be done on 1^er September, when we have plenty of other problems,” he said. The subject had thus been examined the day before, during an executive council of the Medef. “It’s a problem of priorities. The government is very vague on pensions for the moment, we do not want to relaunch the file at this stage and prefer to insist on the unemployment insurance project which has already been launched “says a participant in the meeting.

“It is difficult to see how this could be implemented in the summer of 2023 as the Head of State promised. At least with unemployment insurance, it is easier to do and more effective to play on the employment rate, in connection with the concerns of our members on the difficulties of recruitment, ”adds a federation leader.

During the summer school for the start of the employers’ organization on Monday, Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux also praised the positive effects of an increase in this employment rate, “which would make it possible to reduce part of the deficit of the pension scheme”. Clearly, the restoration of accounts can be achieved by means other than an overhaul of the pension system stricto sensu.

fear of strikes

An employer leader also insists that this “lack of momentum” on pensions also reflects “various sensitivities on the subject” in the ranks of employers. A few months ago, some federations had expressed their doubts about the need to move towards a social conflict in the midst of a recovery period. “Strikes in the current brothel always frighten some people,” sums up the boss abruptly, even if not everyone shares these concerns.

Finally, all the Medef federations do not necessarily have the same expectations when it comes to defining an ideal pension reform. “In construction or industry, some say that retirement at 65 is something they don’t know how to do given the toughness of the trades. On the other hand, certain sectors of services with high added value fear that with an extension of the duration of contribution, they will have to manage executives up to 70 years, ”summarizes a member of Medef.

This is perhaps also the reason why Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux mentions “taking into account all the parameters (employment of seniors, wear and tear at work in certain professions, long careers, etc.)” when he speaks of a future reform at the “Figaro” this Monday.

Consultations in the fall

This lack of momentum does not mean that Medef is an opponent of an overhaul of the pension system. “There will be no choice, we will have to make this reform at some point if we want to restore the balance of our public finances”, insists a federation leader. In front of the bosses gathered for the summer university, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, promised a start of consultation “in the fall”, after an initial debate at the National Council for Refoundation on September 8 .

But at the Medef, we can clearly see that among the social partners, the CFDT is upwind against the project, while, on the political side, LR will undoubtedly sell its support dearly to the government so that the text can be voted on. “It’s going to be complicated to carry out,” agrees an employer leader.