The French government has started a new phase this week, opening dialogue with the countrys unions. The atmosphere remains tense, shaped by distrust and the anger that has accompanied a wave of mass protests this year. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne met, on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, with the leaders of Frances main trade unions to discuss the pension reform and its political fallout.
During the recent high-stakes push to lift the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, the government had previously held only a single encounter with union heads—back on April 5. That meeting lasted less than an hour and was seen by many as insufficient. This time, the government arranged separate discussions with each union official, aiming for more serious engagement. There was no fixed agenda guiding these talks, signaling a willingness to listen before defining specific concessions.
Will they be able to turn the page on the pension debate?
All union leaders expressed their opposition to the reform and urged the government to scrap it. Yet the request has little probability of changing course. The measure was announced in mid-April and will be introduced gradually starting in September. Opponents, however, cling to a proposal from the opposition to vote on the reform on June 8 and to remove the 64-year-old retirement age. They have called for a fresh nationwide day of strikes and protests scheduled for June 6.
Despite the friction, the government remains hopeful that the talks can shift the pension narrative. This reform is a difficult issue to address, one that has dominated public debate in France since the start of the year and has also affected President Macrons popularity. The yellow vest movement underscored public weariness with national policy, and union leaders have repeatedly tried to press for greater influence over centrist governance. Macron has repeatedly signaled that his economic program remains firmly anchored in center-right priorities, resisting calls to pivot in response to union pressure.
We cant go on like before
Laurent Berger, the general secretary of the CFDT, stressed that he would not settle for half measures and argued that the focus of bargaining must be wages as well as retirement rules. FrE9dE9ric Souillot, president of Force OuvriE8re, insisted that any real policy flexibility should rest with social actors rather than within a rigid negotiating calendar. Sophie Binet, CGT general secretary, was even more forceful, stating that the country will not return to normal if there is no retreat on pension reform. She warned that negotiations cannot proceed under a framework dictated solely by government or employer texts.
Union leaders also cautioned about the repercussions of political disagreements for parliamentary debate on the proposed changes to retirement age. With broad support expected in Parliament for the reform, the presidential coalition is contemplating blocking discussion in the National Assembly for budgetary reasons. Such a move would further complicate dialogue with the unions, making constructive engagement more fragile than ever.