Overview
- The Labor Ministry told partners it will withdraw the August guidance seeking €2–2.5 billion in yearly cuts once formal interprofessional negotiations start.
- Unions and several employer groups had urged this path, proposing focused talks on short-term contracts and mutually agreed terminations to restrain benefit costs.
- The new objective is at least €400 million in annual savings with effects beginning in 2026, tied to a deadline to conclude a deal by late January 2026.
- Medef rejects limiting the agenda to rupture agreements and may not participate, and L’Humanité reports Medef and U2P do not plan to attend an initial Unédic meeting this week.
- Unédic recorded about 515,000 rupture agreements in 2024 and €9.4 billion in related unemployment payouts, highlighting why this mechanism is a prime target for savings.