President Nicolas Sarkozy seeks to win support on Thursday for his drive to shake up France's creaking social security system and modernise the civil service, despite a strike threat by disgruntled unions.
In an interview with the two main television networks around 1800 GMT, Sarkozy will explain reforms he set out in two policy speeches this week when his urgent tone surprised and antagonised many trade union leaders. Sarkozy pushed through an initial batch of measures before the summer break but has stepped up the pace since returning from holiday despite warnings from some critics that fast reform has often meant botched reform.
Political commentators regard his interview as an "after-sales service" drive to ensure public support for his plans and undermine threatened industrial action by unions flustered by the short timetable Sarkozy put forward.
Rail workers are upset at his proposal to align them with the less generous civil service pension and have called a strike for October 17. Energy sector staff may join them. "We are discussing with other unions and we are converging for a strike on October 17," said a spokesman for the CGT union. "We will confirm the date at the beginning of next week."
Sarkozy said on Tuesday he wanted Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand's consultations on the "special regime" pensions of state-controlled companies to be wrapped up within two weeks, leaving management and unions a few months to thrash out the details.
The advantageous conditions of the special regimes are set to cost the taxpayer 5 billion euros ($7 billion) this year. Economists say France must carry out major structural reforms to secure sustainable, long-term growth and meet its EU commitments on its budget deficit and public debt.
Reform has proved politically risky in the past. Mass street protests forced a conservative government climbdown in 1995 and a heavy defeat in an early national election two years later. Bertrand, in charge of the pension reform, told Europe 1 radio that times had changed. "French society in 2007 is nothing like it was in 1995. You can see that today, everyone is ready to come and debate with me, to have a dialogue on this issue."
There is speculation Sarkozy will reshuffle his cabinet in January after reports Prime Minister Francois Fillon is unhappy at what some critics call an overbearing presidential style. "Together...Until When?" asked Le Parisien daily over a story of tensions between the two men. Fillon told Paris Match magazine he had been a littlference to him as a "collaborator".
"The president is omnipresent, gets involved in everything and appears to run the government," said former Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. "A head of state who is too close to the economic powers, who weighs heavily on the prime minister and ministers, will not fulfil the post with the necessary impartiality," he wrote in a new book.
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