Unions at Matignon: public order alone will not quell social anger

On Wednesday morning, Sébastien Lecornu received the trade unions at Matignon, four days after the 17 October demonstrations and the serious violence that marred them. The meeting lasted two and a half hours, according to CGT general secretary Sophie Binet. Afterwards, almost every participant reached the same conclusion: plenty of method, few answers.

A meeting focused on public order

According to Public Sénat, the CFDT, CGT, FO, CFTC, CFE-CGC, UNSA and FSU attended, alongside police and gendarmerie representatives. Four ministers sat with the Prime Minister: David Amiel (Public Accounts), Jean-Pierre Farandou (Labour), Édouard Geffray (National Education) and Laurent Nuñez (Interior). In his letter of invitation, quoted by LCP, Sébastien Lecornu said he wanted to examine ways of guaranteeing the freedom to demonstrate, which some were allegedly trying to subvert through unacceptable acts.

High school and student organisations were not invited, which the CFDT and the CGT regretted, according to AFP. Yet the high school movement, which started in the Paris suburbs on 18 September, has reached more than a quarter of high schools and around thirty universities, according to the same agency.

The situation remains tense. According to initial government estimates reported by AFP, some 3,000 shops were attacked on 17 October. Localised curfews have been imposed in Paris, Lille, Lyon and Marseille. A new demonstration has been called for Saturday 24 October by the gilets jaunes coordination, followed by a joint union strike day on 5 November.

Unions unanimously disappointed

Sophie Binet said the government had announced "no measures" and had taken up none of the CGT's demands, Public Sénat reports. Before the meeting, the union was calling for a 10% rise in the Smic minimum wage, the indexation of wages to prices, resources for public services and a pay rise for civil servants. It is now calling for general assemblies in workplaces to extend the strike beyond 5 November.

The CFDT, more cautious in tone, is no less severe in substance. Its general secretary, Marylise Léon, considers the government "not really in tempo" and says it is imperative that social answers come by 5 November, particularly on wages. The president of the CFTC, Cyril Chabanier, spoke of a "very disappointing" meeting, while noting an opening on the Smic. Sophie Vénétitay, for Snes-FSU, left with "a timetable and a method", including a meeting next Monday on the consultation of pupils.

The government's arguments

The executive's position deserves a hearing. In the aftermath of looting on a rare scale, the State's first responsibility is to protect people, shops and the right to demonstrate itself. According to AFP, Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged that the police deployment on 17 October was too static, and he denounces an "insurrectionary scheme" that he attributes to small far-left groups. From Doha, Emmanuel Macron called for firmness, saying, according to several media outlets, that "the hand must not tremble at the top of the State". The government also points to concrete gestures: an interest-free loan capped at 50,000 euros for damaged businesses, and a dialogue on purchasing power entrusted to Jean-Pierre Farandou.

These arguments are serious. But they answer only half the question. The security framing is itself contested: on 19 October Mediapart reported the account of a territorial intelligence officer who claimed that an instruction had allegedly been given to designate La France insoumise as the instigator of the movement. The Interior Ministry denied any instruction of this kind, and the Prime Minister called the idea of political intelligence gathering "false". The groups in the National Assembly have agreed on a commission of inquiry: that is the right place to establish the facts.

The cost of living, Matignon's blind spot

The root of the discontent is well known. According to INSEE, consumer prices rose by 3.1% year on year in September, after 2.4% in August. Energy, up 21.3% over one year, is the main driver. For low-income households, which devote a heavier share of their budget to housing, heating and fuel, this rise is not a statistic: it is the end of the month.

In these circumstances, summoning the unions to talk first about law and order amounts to reversing the order of priorities. A Gaullist tradition, that of participation and dialogue with intermediary bodies, teaches that national cohesion is not restored by police force alone. It is rebuilt when everyone feels that the effort is shared. Even the Medef, through Patrick Martin, blames the State for failing shopkeepers in the face of their losses: the anger goes beyond the usual divides.

Two weeks to change course

The government has fifteen days before 5 November. It can use them to prepare a new policing plan, which is necessary. It can also use them to open genuine negotiations: a conference on wages and the Smic, a targeted energy shield for low-income households, and direct dialogue with high school and student representatives, whom Matignon has not yet received. The political parties are expected on Thursday on rue de Varenne: it will be a first test.

One question remains open. Should we wait for the street to impose its timetable, or will the State, this time, manage to take the lead?

Article written with the help of artificial intelligence.