Removal of two public holidays: "It's an absolute scam," denounces the president of the CFE-CGC

The abolition of two public holidays is expected to generate €4.2 billion for the state by 2026. The measure sparked fierce opposition when it was introduced in July.

"It's an absolute scam," reacts François Hommeril, president of the CFE-CGC, on franceinfo, while François Bayrou proposes, in a letter addressed to the social partners , which franceinfo was able to consult on Sunday, August 10, not to pay monthly employees and public employees more during the two public holidays that the government plans to eliminate in its 2026 Budget. François Bayrou "is dragging France down," denounces François Hommeril. "With this measure, he promises to enrich the bosses a little more," according to him. The head of government expects to collect 4.2 billion euros with this reform.

"Two days is 1% of the payroll, that's eight billion euros," according to the president of the CFE-CGC. "The government plans to make employees contribute eight billion euros and will ask employers to reimburse four billion ," he said. "In this affair, employers earn as much as the State and it's the employees who pay everything," he denounces.

"We will reduce the purchasing power of employees, we will force them to work more and there will be no economic gain for France in the long term."

François Hommeril, President of the CFE-CGC

to franceinfo

In this letter sent Friday, which specifies the terms of "eliminating the two-day public holiday" per year, the Prime Minister also announces that "in return, private sector employers will pay a contribution which will be allocated to the State budget" . But according to François Hommeril, "the employers will not want to pay" and "will make up for it through salary increases" .

François Hommeril assures that "there is nothing to negotiate in this matter." "There is no question of negotiating the ways and means by which we will be robbed," he explains. The CFE-CGC is, according to him, "thinking about the best way to react." An inter-union meeting is planned for September 1. "We must react collectively," he says.