Gérald Darmanin in favor of an increase in working hours. The former Minister of the Interior, who was also Minister of Public Accounts from 2017 to 2020, gave an interview to Les Échos in which he proposed several avenues for reducing public spending, saying he was worried about the desired tax increases by the government of Michel Barnier. A line joined in part by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who was also skeptical of the economic choices of the new executive, in the run-up to the presentation of the draft budget by the Prime Minister on Thursday.
In his interview with Les Échos, Gérald Darmanin mentioned in particular the increase in working hours. “We can (…) definitively end the 35 hours in the private sector and return working time to dialogue in the company in exchange for profit-sharing and participation and move to 36 or 37 hours in the public sector, of course paid in consequence,” explains the Northern MP to the economic daily.
“The subject in France is that we don’t work enough,” he also gets annoyed. “The right answer” would therefore be to “work more”, continues the ex-minister, announcing in passing that Michel Barnier will go to the meeting of the EPR group at the Assembly on Tuesday.
“A fiscal shock (…) risks creating unemployment”
The former mayor of Tourcoing mentions other options, such as the elimination of a “second public holiday in both the public and private sectors” or the establishment of a “second waiting day for sick leave in the public service”. On a completely different register, he also proposes to “sell” the State’s stakes in several companies such as “Orange, FDJ, Stellantis or Engie”, the increase in registration fees for foreign students or even reform of public audiovisual – a project defended by the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati – which, according to him, is part of the “logical” continuation of the abolition of the audiovisual royalty.
On the other hand, Gérald Darmanin is much less favorable to an increase in public revenue, which represents a third of the budgetary effort requested by Michel Barnier this fall. “A fiscal shock does not make economic policy. And this path risks killing growth and creating unemployment,” he warns. And added: “It is paradoxical that a Prime Minister from the LR has as his first measure the sharp increase in taxes on companies and capital. We lose our Latin.”
While exceptional taxation of high incomes is wanted by the government, Gérald Darmanin points out the “economic inefficiency” of such a policy, according to him. “We say implicitly that those who succeed are to be pointed at,” he argues.
Although a member of the “common base” on which Michel Barnier intends to rely in the National Assembly, Gérald Darmanin has also announced that he will not “vote” the part dedicated to revenue in the finance bill for 2025 , if it remains as is. “On the other hand, I could vote for savings in public spending,” he specifies.
“Not everyone does the 35 hours”
Guest on TF 1 on Sunday evening, Gabriel Attal also expressed his strong reservations about the new government’s choices. “There is today a risk that we identify, which is to overload the boat with taxes and instead of that, we are going to propose reforms and the valorization of work,” argued the former tenant of Matignon, assuring that he wanted to “help” Michel Barnier to “reduce the deficits”.
“Another path is possible than that of excessively massive tax increases which would create unemployment,” continued Gabriel Attal, saying he was in particular in favor of the new government’s resumption of the unemployment insurance reform prepared when he was at Matignon. “It is ready, there is a decree, you just have to sign it,” said the head of the Ensemble pour la République (EPR) deputies.
As for the 35 hours, Gabriel Attal was less radical, calling for civil servants to be “really at the 35 hours” and not below. “We know that today (…) not everyone works the 35 hours. It would bring in a billion euros to put everyone on a 35-hour week. This would allow us to avoid part of the efforts that are required, for example, of our retirees,” explained the former Prime Minister.
Questioned this Monday morning on TF1 about these 35 hours, the former President of the Republic and NFP deputy François Hollande believes that it is not “a policy in line with the will of the French”. “Darmanin was minister for seven years (…) now he wakes up, it is still this government which created the situation in which we are,” he added.