A fervent defender of consultation and compromise, Laurent Berger, 54, made the CFDT the first French union and became the number one opponent of pension reform.
For a long time, his detractors thought he would give in. Eternal trial in treason made to the “reformists”. After all, hadn’t the CFDT supported the pension reform of 2003, accompanied that of 2014, called for the aborted project of a “universal” system in 2020?
But Laurent Berger did not blink. To the chagrin of Emmanuel Macron who counted on his “spirit of responsibility” to crack the inter-union. Except that this time, the trade unionist played unity rather than compromise.
An intransigence which completed the break with the head of state, furious that the CFDT had, according to him, “nothing offered” to help him pass the 64 years. As if its leader had had a choice.
At its last congress in June, the CFDT rejected any extension of the retirement age, like any extension of the contribution period.
Since his arrival at the head of the union in 2012, Mr. Berger has played the game of discussions on the labor law in 2016, remained in the background of the demonstrations against the Pénicaud ordinances in 2017, then advocated the openness on the reform of SNCF in 2018.
With such a pedigree, the man was bound to adopt a “nuanced speech”, bet a minister before Christmas, doubting that the ceditist “can’t wait to demonstrate with the CGT and SUD”.
On the contrary, responds the interested party: scroll? “I love it, I’ve been doing it since I was little.”
The child from Guérande (Loire-Atlantique), son of a welder from the shipyards of Saint-Nazaire and a childcare assistant, went to a good school.
Joined the CFDT during his studies in Nantes, he joined the capital once his master’s degree in history in his pocket, to take the reins of the Christian Workers’ Youth from 1991 to 1994.
Back in his department, he briefly points to unemployment and rubs shoulders with precariousness as a professional integration adviser.
At the same time, he climbed all the union levels, from the local Saint-Nazaire section in 1996, to the regional union in 2003, to the holy of holies, the confederal executive commission, in 2009.
Knighted by François Chérèque, he succeeded him three years later as secretary general. Under his direction, the CFDT will impose itself as the first French trade union organization, at the expense of a CGT in decline.
This did not prevent him from forging, over time, a relationship marked by respect and mutual esteem with his counterpart Philippe Martinez, who left at the end of March after a stormy congress.
Their complicity has undoubtedly cemented the inter-union, while the complicated end of the reign of the famous mustachioed metalworker has left Laurent Berger all the media space to establish himself as the figurehead of the protest since January.
To the point of irritating certain supporters of a hard line, disappointed with his calls to “bring France to a halt” rather than a general strike, to “mediation” rather than the outright withdrawal of the pension reform.
Married and father of three children, the future ex-boss of the CFDT has prepared his succession. Her designated runner-up, Marylise Léon, will take over on June 21.
And after ? He swears at every opportunity that he will “not do politics”. But his “living power pact” launched in 2019 with dozens of associations, could offer him a platform to continue to challenge power.
04/19/2023 14:55:43 – Paris (AFP) – © 2023 AFP