PARIS (Reuters) – The CFDT will go to Matignon to demand the suspension of the raising of the retirement age to 64 and the opening of mediation, two measures so far excluded by the executive, a declared Laurent Berger on Wednesday in response to the government’s invitation.

The Prime Minister’s office announced on Tuesday evening, at the end of a tenth day of mobilization in France against the pension reform, that Elisabeth Borne had invited the inter-union to Matignon for a meeting at the start of next week.

Asked about France info, the secretary general of the CFDT Laurent Berger indicated that the agenda for this meeting, the first between the government and the unions since the start of the social movement against pensions in January, had not not been specified.

“There is nothing written in terms of content but you can imagine that (…) the representatives of the trade union organizations of this country are not going to discuss anything other than pensions, he said. he says.

“We must suspend the 64 years, get back around the table on employment and work and give a chance for a social compromise,” added the union leader.

“Nobody is going to dictate what the CFDT will say. I will go on to explain why this reform is a dead end (…) and why we must find a way out that is not rotting,” he said. declared.

“If we bet on the rotting of the dispute, there would be more serious: a resentment that everyone will pay dearly. Today, there is still time to talk to each other,” said the secretary general of the CFDT.

Regarding the participation of other unions in the meeting, while the CGT, in congress in Clermont-Ferrand, is preparing the succession of Philippe Martinez and the activity report of the outgoing management was rejected by a narrow majority on Tuesday evening, Laurent Berger wanted “everyone to come”.

“Until last night, the CGT, there was no reason for it not to go. I am not sure of anything and I am not going to interfere in the CGT congress”, has he added.

The mediation proposal advanced Tuesday morning by the inter-union to find a way out of the social crisis was rejected by the government spokesman, Olivier Véran, during his report to the Council of Ministers.

Emmanuel Macron and the government rule out reviewing the text of the law on pensions, adopted without a vote on March 16 in the National Assembly, while ensuring that they are ready to dialogue with the unions on work-related issues, such as hardship or career ends.

Asked at the microphone of Europe 1, the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, admitted on Wednesday that the question of pensions would be “probably central” during the meeting in Matignon.

Rewriting a text of law adopted by Parliament will not be the subject of discussions but there are many subjects which depend on the application of the reform, he assured.

(Written by Jean-Stéphane Brosse, with the contribution of Benoît Van Overstraeten, edited by Blandine Hénault)

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