The CFDT changes this Wednesday of head but not really of line. Marylise Léon will succeed Laurent Berger at the head of the first French union, in a context where the Confederation is carried by the social movement against the pension reform, even if it has not managed to make the government back down.
Aged 46, Marylise Léon had been Laurent Berger’s number two since 2018, in charge of strategic issues such as unemployment insurance and inter-union relations. She is the second woman to head the CFDT, after Nicole Notat, who led it from 1992 to 2002.
A succession agreed for a year and a half
She embodies a form of continuity with Laurent Berger, who says he agreed with her for at least a year and a half to hand over the witness to her in June 2023, even if he only made the official and public announcement. April 19. The two leaders were received Friday at Matignon by Elisabeth Borne, the opportunity to “make contact” according to Marylise Léon.
During his last demonstration as union leader, on June 6, Laurent Berger said he was “very serene, (…) very happy to be next to Marylise and to pass the torch to her”, even if he with a touch of “melancholy”. “I believe that we have demonstrated the strength of unionism (…) unionism is in good shape, and the CFDT is in good shape, and there is nothing better than to pass the baton when we are in the momentum” , he enthused.
The striking contrast with the CGT
On the other hand, the contrast is striking with the tumultuous succession of Philippe Martinez, during the 53rd Congress of the CGT in March. The one he had chosen to take over, Marie Buisson, had to face the candidacy of Céline Verzeletti, and finally had to give way to Sophie Binet, who appeared as a rallying candidacy.
According to the latest scores, more than 45,700 new members have joined the CFDT since January (for some 612,000 members at the end of 2022). A sign of its good health, the Confederation has decided to mark this passing of the baton by offering itself all day this Wednesday at the Zénith de Paris, where 2,700 activists are expected.
After Laurent Berger’s opening speech, the morning will be devoted to lessons for trade unionism from the “historical” social movement of pensions, with in particular an intervention by the historian and sociologist Pierre Rosanvallon. At midday, the elections of the secretary general and her number two, Yvan Ricordeau, will be held by the 42 members of the national office. The afternoon will also be devoted to the challenges of trade union development, before a double conclusion by Marylise Léon and then Laurent Berger.