This morning, the CFDT general secretary has the “urgent” need to appoint a Prime Minister, to make progress on social issues.
The CFDT is raising its voice. Usually rather moderate, the general secretary Marylise Léon was very firm this morning on our colleagues at France Info. Faced with the reluctance of employers and business circles regarding a possible increase in the minimum wage to 1,600 euros, as promised by the NFP, she reiterated the need to increase salaries.
“With 1,400 euros, you can’t live off your work, because there is an increase in compulsory expenses for childcare, transport, food. We have to make sure that we don’t have a majority of people on minimum wage,” she argued.
According to the manager, companies are not playing the game. “We have never had so many people on minimum wage, 17%. There needs to be negotiations in the branches, and employers need to play the game: they are fed on social exemptions and public spending. Their responsibility is to hire, but also to provide career prospects,” she further criticized.
In particular, she advocates for making aid conditional on the quality of employment, a point which divides employers: the Impact France movement is in favour, while the Medef, which is still very much in the majority, is opposed.
Emmanuel Macron must “take responsibility”
Marylise Léon also reminded the President of the Republic of his responsibility to quickly appoint a Prime Minister, while consultations are getting bogged down around the profiles of Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand.
“His first responsibility is the emergency of the Prime Minister. I am not saying that the task is easy: but it is he who decided on the dissolution, it is he who must take responsibility for the situation. The young people went to vote, there is disappointment.”
The unionist mentioned the need for social negotiations with Matignon, which has frozen any conclusions from the social conference at the end of 2023.
She also slipped in a reproach to the left, believing that compromises had to be found, as they regularly are between employers’ and trade unions. “As a trade unionist, when I decide on openness, I do not build walls by saying ‘only my proposals, nothing but my proposals'”, she recalled.
