INTERVIEW – For Jean-Claude Mailly, former general secretary of Force Ouvrière (FO), the new Prime Minister must reconnect with the unions as quickly as possible to calm the growing social anger.
Challenges. What is the social atmosphere in the country?
Jean-Claude Mailly. Very flammable. In a similar state to before the “yellow vest” crisis in 2018. The grass is dry. It doesn’t take much, a clumsiness, an unpopular measure, for the country to go up in flames. Our fellow citizens feel a sense of deep contempt, even abandonment by the political class, from whom they expect a lot, probably too much. And they have not understood the reasons for the dissolution of the Assembly.
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What should the new Prime Minister do to prevent a conflagration?
Completely change the method of government. Emmanuel Macron has governed until now in a hyper-centralized way. And he no longer has the sensors on the real state of the country. When he was at the Elysée, Nicolas Sarkozy had Raymond Soubie as his social advisor, who sensed and informed him precisely of the social climate.
The new Prime Minister will also have to renew dialogue and create trust with the unions, whose ties with the Elysée have been severed. At the beginning of his five-year term, Emmanuel Macron had a direct relationship with the leaders of the trade unions, which must be reestablished. Because in the event of a social crisis, the executive must be able to rely on the unions.
What emergency measures should be taken in the face of social discontent?
The social program of the New Popular Front is unrealistic, especially regarding the minimum wage of 1,600 euros net. But a boost for the lowest salaries is necessary, without implementing an overly costly project that could create a crisis in public finances. Strong signals are also needed on taxation. The feeling of tax injustice is widely shared by citizens and businesses, among which SMEs are taxed much more than large groups. The Prime Minister must launch the project of a complete overhaul of the tax system.
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- challenges.fr
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