Despite Emmanuel Macron's denials of a suspension, the CFDT's general secretary insists the 2023 pension reform is indeed suspended. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu plans to include it in the social security budget via a rectifying letter. A conference on work and pensions will open in late November to discuss alternative systems.
On October 14, during his general policy statement to the National Assembly, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced he would propose 'suspending the 2023 pension reform until the presidential election.' On October 21, he specified that the Council of State had been seized with a rectifying letter to add this suspension to the 2026 social security financing bill (PLFSS), to be adopted in the Council of Ministers the following Thursday. This measure, avoiding a parliamentary amendment debate and resetting the 50-day examination period, aims to reassure oppositions like the PS and RN.
However, on the same day, Emmanuel Macron, in a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, contested the term: 'It’s neither abrogation nor suspension, it’s a shift in timing,' he insisted, specifying a delay of the 63-year age from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2028, financed by savings, 'for appeasement' sought by Lecornu. The president mentioned 'prospects for a referendum' possible on the basis of a future agreement.
Marylise Léon, CFDT general secretary, responded in Libération on October 22: 'The President can deny it, but as he himself says, facts are stubborn. The 2023 reform is indeed suspended, as the Prime Minister clearly stated again this Tuesday, October 21, in the Assembly.' She calls for a 'serious debate on the future of pensions,' including hardship and a 'customized' points system, requiring the abrogation of the Borne reform: 'yes, absolutely.' The CFDT is open to discussing capitalization without weakening redistribution.
Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou announced on October 21 the opening in late November of a social conference with unions and employers, including workshops on private and public pensions, and on work. 'The time has come to open a calm, serene debate on the regimes,' he stated, mentioning alternatives like points or a share of capitalization.
Oppositions have criticized this semantic nuance. Marine Le Pen (RN) sees it as a 'false promise,' Boris Vallaud (PS) as a 'strong commitment' to be judged by actions, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon as 'propaganda' hiding a mere delay. This rectifying letter could postpone the PLFSS examination to Monday, according to Frédéric Valletoux, president of the social affairs commission.