France: Lecornu Calls for a 'Social Conference' to Address Wages and the Minimum Wage Amid Cost-of-Living Pressures

Representatives of trade unions and employers will meet next Monday at the Hôtel de Matignon at the invitation of Sébastien Lecornu, as part of a "social conference" dedicated to discussing wages. The Prime Minister's office announced the meeting on Thursday at the end of a day of strikes and demonstrations. According to Matignon, the meeting aims to "provide responses to issues of purchasing power and salaries," which form the core concerns of workers and families in France.

Ahead of this meeting, Sébastien Lecornu instructed Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou to conclude ongoing consultations with union and employer organizations by Sunday, following several days of discussions. In parallel, Minister of Public Accounts David Amiel continues his talks with representatives of civil service employees.

Urgent Demands to Increase the Minimum Wage

Re-evaluating the minimum wage (Smic) topped the list of demands renewed by unions on Thursday; the CFDT is demanding a net increase of €100, while the CGT is calling for a 10% hike. Both organizations are demanding that the increases cover the entire pay scale, with the CGT also calling for wages to be indexed to inflation.

For his part, Labor Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou stated on Tuesday that the issue of raising the minimum wage "is not taboo," while stressing the need for the government to assess the impact of such a move on the job market and employment opportunities. The minimum wage in France is subject to automatic inflation-linked adjustments, whereas the last extraordinary government-approved increase dates back to 2012.

Struggling to Live on Less than €2,000

The Labor Minister called on professional branches to raise minimum wages in their collective agreements through negotiations if they fall below the Smic level, while also referring the wage issue to mandatory annual company-level negotiations. In the same context, the General Secretary of the FO union, Frédéric Souillot, stated on BFMTV that he had previously warned Lecornu of the difficulty of living in France on an income of less than €2,000, adding that he would tell him that "waiting will only make the bill higher in the end."

These developments come after three consecutive weeks of Saturday actions against the "high cost of living." Unions had called on public- and private-sector employees to strike and demonstrate on Thursday. The marches also saw the participation of high school and university students, who have been protesting since mid-September against their studying conditions, alongside "Yellow Vest" activists.