Unemployment insurance reform: ‘unacceptable’ for CGT, unions revolt after Attal claims

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced on Wednesday evening on TF 1 that he wants to ask the social partners to start new negotiations on unemployment insurance this year. It plans to reduce the length of compensation by “several months”, maintaining a minimum of 12 months, compared with 18 months today for those under 53. He consider also increase the length of membership, which is the time one must work to be eligible for compensation, as well as the “level of unemployment benefits.”

“I want us to have the parameters of this reform in the summer so that it can come into force by the fall, as I promised,” he explained, adding: “My goal is not to attack a specific person or the unemployed, it means changing the system, to encourage more people to return to work.” On the other hand, he remained open about the duration of compensation for older people. This issue is due to be the subject of an agreement between the employer and the union on April 10. “In the proposed proposals we hear about a two-year increase in the age limit for the senior sector, which would be in line with the latest pension reform,” he stressed.

Obviously, unions responded immediately to the announcement of these new directions. “The unemployment insurance system cannot be a variable adjustment to the state budget! “said CFDT Secretary General Marilize Leon, adding that her union “will continue to demand that efforts be fairly shared” between workers and employers. “A new reform has been announced, this will not prevent us from completing the current negotiations and fulfilling our obligations, the CFDT will continue to make demands so that the efforts are fairly distributed,” added the leader of the first French union.

“Absolute cynicism”

More vehemently, Denis Gravouille, the CGT’s representative in the unemployment insurance negotiations, believed that “it is unacceptable in method and in substance, the only thing Gabriel Attal announced this evening is to print again on the precarious or unemployed.” And he added: “In the last unemployment reform there was already a reduction in the rights of older people, and we will still have to add a reduction in rights for people with precarious employment, depression, a reduction in the duration of compensation for the whole world.”

Michel Bogas (FO) for his part denounced the Prime Minister’s “beautiful fable”, “according to which it is unemployment insurance that prevents employers from hiring.”

For his part, the president of the managers’ union, François Hommeril, criticized the “absolute cynicism of this speech, which ignores the situation of the unemployed who are faced with difficulties in finding work.” “This is the “characteristic of populist speech, that is, ignoring facts, unconditionally ignoring reality,” he added.

Finally, CFTC leader Cyril Chabanier said he was “very concerned.” “Making it more difficult to access unemployment or reducing compensation is what doesn’t work, it’s never worked.”