The group will be composed of representatives of employers and trade unions, parliamentarians and other leading qualified figures, and is to be set up over the next two months. However, CGT , CGT-FO and FSU , which are the majority unions among civil service staff in central government, local authorities and hospitals, dismissed en masse the proposal for negotiations on raising the qualification period for civil servants to 40 years, and launched a mobilisation call to civil servants. CFDT felt that all the proposals were over-cautious and too vague, particularly the refusal to modify the special schemes. However, CFE-CGC gave its full approval to Mr Jospin's blueprint. Moreover, CFTC had little criticism to make, other than reiterating the union's long-standing refusal to fund the reserve scheme from the social security surplus.
Employers are adamant in their opposition to the general direction of the announced reform.
While Lionel Jospin is banking on negotiation to encourage civil service unions to agree to a longer contribution period, the state as an employer can expect to have to overcome the collective resistance of the main civil service unions on this issue. It is the level of top-up pensions in the private sector that has fallen most obviously. It is proposing an individualised system, allowing each contributor the option of early retirement. As no timetable has been fixed, the reform is dependent on goodwill and the balance of power between employers and unions, in a context in which employers are again on the offensive and the state as an employer faces industrial conflict.