The government seeks the means of not appearing to yield in front of the demonstrations.

By François Wenz-dumas

Saturday March 12, 2005 (Release - 06:00)

Will yield? Will not yield? Friday evening, Jean-Pierre Raffarin had still not decided to release ballast to allow the Minister for the Public office, Renaud Dutreil, to join again the dialogue with the trade unions. The day before, to the starting of the Parisian demonstration ( Release of Friday), one of the principal trade-union leaders of the public office explained the rule of the game clearly: "With 0,8 %, one enters into negotiation. That makes it possible to guarantee the purchasing power in 2005, and one can start to discuss the remainder." The cost of this ticket of entry would not be exorbitant: 300 million euros in 2005, 600 million in full year. They is fifteen times less than what the good surprise of the growth to 2,3 % in 2004 reported in "tax kitty".

"Short times." Thursday, the minister delegated to the Budget, Jean-François Copé, recalled that the budgetary margins "were reduced" , a way of recognizing that they exist. And in fact, the secretary-general of working Force, Jean-Claude Mailly, stated Friday that Jean-Pierre Raffarin had let him know by telephone that it was "favorable to the reopening of wage negotiations in the public office in the near future". " It is what we ask with the other trade-union organizations, consequently we accomodate this news positively", added Jean-Claude Mailly, specifying however that "it was not question of figures".

The problem for the government is initially to ensure the coherence of its message. To say in December that it is impossible to guarantee the purchasing power in 2005 then to agree to do it later three months under the pressure of 700 000 demonstrators, would withdraw any credibility with its messages. Especially when one held good on the reform of the retirements which, at the height of the protest, in May 2003, a million people in the street put.

Denial. Friday, the Platform and the World ensured that Raffarin was ready, the request express of Chirac, to release 1 %. A the Elysium as in Matignon, one contradicted formally that such an arbitration was returned. "the Prime Minister asked his ministers to receive the trade unions" , summarizes an adviser of Raffarin which adds: "Sunday, the head of the government must express himself on Radio J but it will not announce a rise of 1 % of the wages of the civils servant." Set language in the Elysium: "the dialogue is between the Minister for the Public office and the trade unions, under the authority of the Prime Minister." Ministers for Finance, Thierry Breton, of the Budget, Jean-François Copé, and Renaud Dutreil were Friday evening in Matignon. No information filtered on this meeting. The government saves time. And reserves the possibility of releasing ballast, if the social condition imposes it.