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Lecornu Starts Union Talks, Considers Dropping Holiday Cuts in Bid to Pass 2026 Budget

He is using low‑profile consultations to build support for the 2026 budget, seeking to avoid censure.

Overview

  • CFDT leader Marylise Léon said after meeting Sébastien Lecornu that he gave no position on reopening pension talks and that her union rejects any revival of last year’s failed conclave.
  • Léon reported the prime minister will respond soon on François Bayrou’s proposal to remove two public holidays, a measure now seen as likely to be abandoned.
  • The CFDT pressed for fiscal ‘proofs of rupture’, saying workers must not carry deficit reduction; Lecornu did not rule out work on a contribution from the very highest incomes, with details undeclared.
  • Further meetings are set with Medef on Friday evening, then CGT, CFTC and CFE‑CGC on Monday and CPME and U2P by Tuesday, as unions prepare a nationwide mobilization on September 18 after 197,000 marched on September 10, according to the Interior Ministry.
  • Politically, Lecornu is shoring up the centre‑right ‘socle commun’, met both chamber presidents and received support from Nicolas Sarkozy, while the PS warns of censure without a policy shift and Senate leader Gérard Larcher rejects a wealth or ‘Zucman’ tax.