Will the CFDT's strategy to bend the government on the issue of pensions change? If Laurent Berger says this Sunday that the battle against the reform "will never stop", he specifies however that he prefers to "obtain concrete progress" for employees rather than "pursue a difficult goal to achieve".

"We will see after the 8th (June, theoretical day of the examination of a law repealing the pension reform). It is certain that we will not make demonstrations repeatedly, "said in an interview with the JDD the first secretary of the CFDT, who will leave office on June 21, asked about the future of the protest movement. "Our subject today, within the inter-union, is to ask ourselves if we send this popular force into the wall by making it pursue a goal difficult to achieve? Or do we transform it into energy to put our interlocutors under pressure and achieve concrete progress? I prefer the second option."

The renewed dialogue with Elisabeth Borne

These statements come a few days after the unions resumed dialogue with Elisabeth Borne during bilateral meetings in Matignon, despite their intact opposition to the reform promulgated on 14 April. After failing to push the government back, the unions are faced with a dilemma, reject the resumption of dialogue with the government, or resume discussions to achieve "concrete progress" regardless.

The general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, for her part, said Wednesday that she did not see the interest of a multilateral state-unions-employers, as the Prime Minister wishes, if there were "no concrete announcements on the question of withdrawing the pension reform or raising wages".

"We will participate in the future," says Laurent Berger. "Some colleagues in the inter-union may disagree on this. But we want to use the strength of the social movement to get progress for workers and that requires going and talking," he said.

OUR DOSSIER ON PENSION REFORM

Another sign of possible disagreements within the inter-union, Laurent Berger is less assertive than Sophie Binet on the fact that common proposals will emerge from the meeting of the unions scheduled for May 30. "We'll see if an answer emerges that evening. If we can make common demands, that's fine. Otherwise, it remains the plurality of the trade union movement."

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