agreements endorsed by a majority of unions

The agreement on the employment of seniors creates a permanent contract to “enhance experience” intended for unemployed people over 60, while the text on unemployment provides for an increase in the age limits giving entitlement to compensation.

Green light from a majority of unions. FO and the CFDT confirmed Thursday, November 21, like Medef, that they were signing the three agreements reached last week on unemployment insurance, senior employment and social dialogue, after the approval of these three on Monday. texts by the CFTC. For its part, the CFE-CGC executives union gave the green light to the agreements on seniors and social dialogue, but rejected the one on unemployment insurance. The signatories ask the government to approve the new unemployment insurance agreement and to quickly transpose the other two texts into law.

The unemployment agreement provides in particular for an increase in the age limits giving entitlement to longer compensation and reduced compensation for unemployed cross-border workers who have worked mainly in Switzerland and Luxembourg. The seniors agreement creates a permanent “experience enhancement” permanent contract intended for unemployed people over 60 and allows access to progressive retirement from the age of 60. The text on social dialogue proposes removing the limit of three mandates for staff representatives in companies.

The CGT will not announce its formal decision until December 3, but has already announced in a press release that its negotiators had issued “negative opinions for the first two agreements (unemployment and seniors) and positive for the third (social dialogue)”. On the employers' side, the Confederation of SMEs – whose negotiator had judged the seniors agreement “not balanced” –and the U2P (artisans, traders and liberal professions) – whose negotiator had issued a “positive review” on the three texts – have yet to give their formal verdict.

The first organization to validate the three agreements, the CFTC stressed that if the social partners had not reached a compromise, “the State could have taken full control and drastically tightened the unemployment insurance rules”as the government of Gabriel Attal was preparing to do before the dissolution of the Assembly.

“While the economic situation is marked by strong uncertainties, the social partners have taken their responsibilities by leading a pragmatic and effective social dialogue”rejoiced Medef. For the first employers' organization, the agreements on unemployment insurance and the employment of seniors “preserve the competitiveness of businesses, improve the efficiency of the social model, while supporting the implementation of pension reform”.