Mixed reaction to Macron’s call for sacrifices

Paris — President Emmanuel Macron warned the French on Wednesday there were tough months ahead as the world faces “a big shift”, but unions rejected his call for sacrifices to be made, saying workers needed higher pay to cope with rising inflation.

Addressing the first cabinet meeting since the summer break, Macron, tanned but sounding solemn, said the world faced the end of easy abundance of goods and resources and “of a certain carefreeness”.

“The moment we are living ... may seem to be structured by a series of crises, each more serious than the other,” he said, referring to the drought, fires and storms that have hit France during the summer as well as the war in Ukraine and disruptions to global trade.

“I believe that what we are going through is rather a big shift, a big change,” Macron said, urging his ministers to be ambitious and the French to agree to make more efforts.

“Freedom has a cost,” Macron said. “The battles we have to fight ... will only be won through our efforts.”

Macron, who won a second presidential mandate in April but then lost his overall majority in parliament, faces tough challenges in the next few months, including persuading reluctant legislators to pass the 2023 budget.

One key question will be whether to renew price caps on electricity and gas that expire at the end of 2022, and a fuel rebate, which together have helped keep French inflation lower than many EU peers but weigh heavily on public finances.

Pension and unemployment benefit schemes reforms are also in the works and could trigger street protests.

“We will stand up against these new sacrifices,” Philippe Martinez, the head of the CGT labour union, told BFM TV after Macron’s comments, adding that protests in September would call for measures to boost wages and limit price increases.

But Philippe Gosselin, a legislator for the opposition conservative Les Republicains, said Macron needed to press ahead with reforms after a few slow months following his election.

“It’s back to reality,” Gosselin told Reuters. “Since the legislative elections, in fact, there has been no real direction.”

Macron, who also said the government would step up its fight against climate change, had another message for his ministers, and those who oppose his plans.

“I also expect seriousness and credibility in the face of such anxieties, such challenges,” Macron said. “It can be appealing to say what people want to hear ... but you must first ask yourself the question of efficiency.”

Reuters