The social partners have ten days to respond

The President of the Medef attempts to resume language with the unions. As announced in early February, Laurence Parisot has written to the five confederations Monday, to propose two "social discussions". A prelude, in theory, at the opening of negotiations. The first deliberation would continue the modernisation of market work, commenced in January 2008 with the creation of the "conventional breakdown" (separation settlement). This time, crisis requires, the patronat suggests "to analyse the obstacles to the development of employment and the securing of career paths for employees, including management and economic changes accompanying". In practical terms, it would be especially put on the table "securing" legal redundancies, the Medef wishing to avoid later disputes. And also mentioned equal pay women and men, reconciliation of work and family lives and "diversity and the fight against discrimination". An agreement has already been signed in 2006 on this last topic, but very few binding, it remained without effect. The joint "deliberation", training, housing and the second (, it, 1 functioning, occupational medicine).

At the same time, the Minister of labour has also written to the social partners to their detail the social agenda already mentioned at the Summit of the Elysée (read here). Issues raised by the Medef therein, such as equality, others not, such as diversity. Above all, Brice Hortefeux advocated negotiations on the best association of employees to the corporate governance, an expensive theme (except FO) unions but on which Medef refuses to open the door so far. The social partners have ten days to respond. The CFDT and the CFTC are relatively satisfied with this agenda. In contrast, Jean-Claude Mailly (FO) considers that "the proposed themes do not respond to the urgency of the crisis;" "the priority is to discuss salaries, training, guaranteed employment. In the same way, Maryse Dumas (CGT) stressed that the proposed agenda "lack much ambition and resumes not enough claims expressed by the intersyndicale."

A turning point for Parisot

The issue now, summarized Marcel Grignard (CFDT) is "stalling as early as now a single agenda, combining our expectations, the Medef's proposals and those of the Ministry of labour." No question, explain the unions to discuss securing the dismissals without implement (TCRC) "of new security for employees also" and "move forward on the transferability of rights" (CFDT). Similarly they decided to get a genuine negotiation on the sharing of profits, another theme rejected by employers.

In these circumstances, Laurence Parisot mail will not relax a highly degraded atmosphere, after very difficult negotiations on unemployment in December. Since the social Summit of February 18, a day passes without that Medef is roundly criticized. "Provocative", according to the TCRC, bearing a vision "stunted" of the economy, the CFDT, "much too steep", from FO, without "measure" in the news, according to the UMP, "archaic" and "cynical", from the PS, and even "illegitimate", according to some patterns guadeloupian, Laurence Parisot was slammed for its "dogmatism" and his inflexibility. The beginning of this year looks like a turning point that marked the arrival in July 2005, had instead an appeasement between patterns and their interlocutors. A beating "shared diagnostics" and "constructive disagreements", she had constantly, almost four years, "out of dogmas" in which, according to her, it was enclosed his predecessor, Ernest-Antoine Seilliere. A strategy, with the crisis, affecting its limits.