"We can't let this happen!": Unions ready to take action in the face of unemployment insurance reform and the elimination of public holidays

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By announcing his ambitions for the world of work on July 15th – cutting unemployment insurance, saving on sick leave, eliminating two public holidays, among other things – François Bayrou had sparked anger among trade unions. A budgetary "effort" ? Or rather, a "total carnage," CFDT general secretary Marylise Léon lashed out after a meeting at the Ministry of Labor.

The two letters sent by Matignon to the social partners (Medef, CPME and U2P; CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC) on August 8 did nothing to improve the situation. In a framework letter and a guidance document, the Prime Minister specifies what he expects from the negotiations he wishes to see opened on unemployment insurance, and proposes, as provided for in the Labor Code, to discuss the elimination of two public holidays (Easter Monday and May 8). "The return on this measure should be €4.2 billion for the private sector from 2026 for the State budget," the document specifies. It is up to the representatives of workers or employers to propose... other days to be eliminated.

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As for unemployment insurance, the objective set by Matignon is to reach an agreement by the end of November on new compensation rules that will make it possible to "generate between 2 billion euros and 2.5 billion euros of savings per year on average" from 2026 to 2029, to "achieve at least 4 billion euros of savings at cruising speed from 2030" , or 10% of total unemployment compensation. A goal comparable to what Gabriel Attal was aiming for with his reform project, which was cut short by the dissolution of June 2024.

To achieve this goal, the social partners will be invited to "modify the minimum duration of employment and the reference period required to establish unemployment benefits, which determine the maximum duration of compensation." And to consider the conditions for compensation following a mutual termination agreement – for example, by increasing the period between leaving the company and receiving unemployment benefits.

"Fierce savings"

These are all prospects that are provoking strong opposition from trade unions. Especially since if they fail to reach an agreement on unemployment insurance, the government will take control and impose its rules by decree. "The savings demanded are drastic, representing 10% of total unemployment benefits ," notes Denis Gravouil, from the CGT's confederal office responsible for employment and unemployment. "This would make it the most drastic reform of all." "Job seekers are once again being asked to foot a bill that isn't theirs," also denounces Frédéric Souillot, the general secretary of Force Ouvrière.

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The executive is setting an unprecedented pace of reform for unemployment insurance: this would be the fifth since 2017. The last one, resulting from an agreement concluded between the social partners in November 2024 and which was supposed to define the rules for compensation for four years, was implemented barely six months ago. " This looks like a denial of social democracy," observes Olivier Guivarch , CFDT national secretary in charge of employment issues, who denounces a project that is " economically unjustified and socially unjust," and which risks further aggravating the precariousness of the unemployed. If the government's stated objective is to encourage a "rapid return to employment" , Dares (the Ministry of Labour's research, studies and statistics department) showed in April in its evaluation of the 2019 reform that it had "reinforced the precariousness of beneficiaries" , by not causing "an extension of the duration of jobs returned" .

"Workers will not let this happen," responded the CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, and CFTC unions in a joint statement this weekend. Asked to tell the Prime Minister "by September 1" if they intend to negotiate on public holidays, they could impose their own timetable. The CFTC has already warned that it will not attend discussions on the abolition of public holidays. The CGT and FO are suggesting the same thing.

A joint decision is expected to be made in September, which could lead to calls for mobilization. Frédéric Souillot anticipates a "coordinated reaction." "September will be turbulent. We cannot allow this to continue," he warns. His organization has already called for mobilization and a strike and filed a strike notice running from September 1 to November 30.

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