Alors que la guerre est aux portes de l’Europe, où l’inflation destabilise les perspectives de croissance, la France n’a pas les moyens de s’enfoncer dans une crise sociale durable, dans une fracture profonde entre le corps social et ses Officials. In response to the irresponsibility of calls for chaos, the first responsibility of our leaders is to satisfy the country by emerging from positions of assertiveness to engage as soon as possible in de-escalation.
Experience from managing major social conflicts and very high stress contexts allows me to share some recommendations that can contribute to this key issue.
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1. Admit mistakes
The first stage, the authority must realize its mistakes made in carrying out the reform. This is the necessary condition for reopening the country’s space for listening and trust. The first mistake, and the most obvious one, will undoubtedly remain the poor readability of the initial diagnosis, which was established by the Pensions Steering Committee. By basing the need for reform on such shaky foundations, the executive has denied itself the possibility of sharing the obvious issues, resulting in a distinct lack of credibility in its arguments.
2. Restore social dialogue
After this error, it will be necessary to re-establish a framework for discussion with the social partners. The absolute priority must be to urgently invite trade union leaders to the Elysee Palace and re-engage in dialogue before it is too late. Putting everything in recent weeks on the political track, versus the track of social dialogue, has been risky to say the least. It would be incomprehensible not to bring employers’ organizations and trade unions back to the center of the new stage so quickly.
3. Conceding 64 to keep the rest
The government should take note of the misunderstanding and rejection of the main measure of reform. A momentary abandonment of 64, which crystallizes a sense of injustice and forces all opposition, would be an act of political courage, and the only one likely to create the conditions for appeasement. But this will only be possible if each party agrees to take responsibility. Pension reform is essential and the other principles that make it up must be applied: special schemes, minimum period of contributions, duration of contributions, long jobs, etc. be required. Let us actually build on the many achievements of this reform to create the conditions for subsequent adaptations.
Myriam Rivault Dalonis: “This second term for Emmanuel Macron shows blindness to the reality of the democratic experiment.”
4. Expanding the dialogue to health and work
Our country needs to renew and adapt to the many challenges of change. With the social partners, the dialogue must now focus on core topics such as deteriorating health and worker protection, adapting companies and the regulatory framework to shifts – particularly digital – at work, and keeping seniors in employment through aggressive company policies and also through the support of public authorities.
5. Team renewal?
Finally, the question is raised about the preservation of the actors responsible for the reform. Stay, wait and bear your choices? Or withdraw to give his successors the necessary freedom and legitimacy for reconstruction? Whichever option you choose, it will take courage.
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Membership Express
Today at the helm of the advisory firm Topics, Bruno Mettling He was – like Stéphane Richard’s human resources director – the architect of France Telecom’s exit from the social crisis. Previously, he was the social advisor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Michel Delpari.
