"Emmanuel Macron has also exhausted the social partners"

Emmanuel Macron receives this Tuesday the trade union and employer organizations at the Elysee, a great first since his election. Pensions, employment, unemployment insurance … The projects are numerous. What are the challenges of this social summit? The analysis of the academic Rémi Bourguignon lecturer at the IAE Paris-Sorbonne and specialist in social dialogue

Emmanuel Macron had until now shown little interest in the body intermediaries … Why this change of foot?

Emmanuel Macron has so far considered that intermediate bodies were interest groups like the others. In his eyes, they are not the co-decision makers of public policies. This position is not suitable for trade unions and employers, who claim a much more important role.

At the bottom, employers' organizations and trade unions take Emmanuel Macron at the word. The president has repeatedly suggested that social democracy is not working well, that it is unable to produce reforms, or only minimal reforms. This is due to the inability of the social partners to agree. Emmanuel Macron concludes that his political will must prevail.

On the other hand, employers 'and workers' organizations want to demonstrate that they are capable of achieving ambitious reforms.

In this respect, last week's meeting between unions and employers is very important, because if Emmanuel Macron finds him social partners who testify to their goodwill, the French would not understand that he continues to leave them out.

You mean that the social partners have stepped into the door, they come back in the game?

They want to impose on Emmanuel Macron, not by the balance of power, but by the ability to discuss. We were in a logic of opposition, of protest. Henceforth, we are rather in a logic of dialogue, and all the more so since this logic can convince the French and win the support of public opinion.

Basically, the social partners accepted the idea that the French are waiting for reforms.

They understand that the protest does not work: it is better to be at the initiative of the reforms than in the opposition.

Is this new state of mind related to the Renewal of leaders – Pascal Pavageau FO, Geoffroy Roux Bezieux Medef?

It is possible, although Force Ouvrière, the previous leader Jean-Claude Mailly was not an opponent to this type of approach. The change of direction at the Medef is an extremely important element, since during his mandate, Pierre Gattaz mainly had a lobbying action with the State. He was reluctant to negotiate with the trade unions. Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux seems more open to direct discussion – to make less room for the state.

The topics of discussion are many: pensions, unemployment insurance, poverty plan. The social summit can not solve everything, what is at stake?

It must be remembered that the participants will not go into the substance of the issues. This is a short meeting, 1 hour 30, 2 hours maximum. It will be a debate on the method: define the priority projects and see how we will work. Emmanuel Macron has launched many projects at the same time, and unions and employers' organizations can not keep up! It is often said that Emmanuel Macron has run out of steam, but he has also run out of steam with the social partners. The idea is to focus on a few main issues and stall the method: how much time is given to seriously study the proposals that are on the table.

There will be a tension with Emmanuel Macron, who wants continue to move quickly to implement its reform agenda. The social partners tell him: "If we want to do it in the dialogue, it can not be so dense, we will have to slow down."

Time management is a weapon, as we saw with SNCF, a reform launched with no charge …

Emmanuel Macron surfs on the political legitimacy that arises from his election. He knows that once he arrives at mid-term, reforming will become much more difficult. It was slowed down on the reform of SNCF, which lasted longer than expected. For the next step, the unions know that if we open too many files at the same time, it will be more difficult to weigh.

The debate is really about the method If Emmanuel Macron wants to bypass the social partners, it is better to open a large number of files so that they are unable to work. But if we think that social democracy is useful, because it makes it possible to better deal with the issues – the social partners are better aware of the issues than a certain number of policies – if we think that In addition, it takes time for the reform to be accepted by the trade union bases, so it takes time

The whole question is whether Emmanuel Macron wants to rely on the social partners. If this is not the case, we can bet that we will come out with a very little changed social calendar.

The tempo of the reforms is therefore the right indicator to measure the president's consideration of the social partners?

Exactly. If he does not slow down, he says to himself: never mind, I'm going at my pace! But if he wants to give them more space, it will require an adjustment of the social agenda.

The moment of truth will take place in the autumn. Because if Emmanuel Macron slows down, the social partners will have to demonstrate that they are able to produce ambitious reforms through dialogue. If they fail, if as often unions and employers do not agree and ask the state to play the referee at the end, or if they agree on reforms very ambitious, then Emmanuel Macron is will feel free to do without them. It will be nice to say that his analysis is confirmed.

So unions take a risk!

If they get this adjustment of the social agenda but are not able to produce reform they are putting themselves in great difficulty. Particularly on the reform of Unedic, a subject on which trade union and employers organizations struggle to get along.

In a second time, during the afternoon, Macron will receive the 100 largest companies to talk about employment and learning. Why choose this framework?

This is not directly competitive with what is happening in terms of social democracy, since it is not a question of discussing reforms. Several lessons. First, it shows that Emmanuel Macron wants to address directly to companies and he did not want to go through employers' organizations. Once again, there are intermediaries.

Then there is a very pragmatic will to change things without going through the law, but rather through the practice of companies. Finally, there is an aspect of communication, since it shows that he is able to bring these hundred companies to the Elysee.

Interview by Baptiste Legrand