Decoding

On 31 January, during a "RTL-Le Monde" programme, Philippe Martinez, the CGT General Secretary, declared: "I want a social spring". He also asked for a ban on redundancies until the health crisis was over.

By Michel Ghazal. Faced with the economic and social tsunami that is coming in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, all the social partners are in the same boat.

All of these issues that have dominated international relations since the beginning of the summer have one thing in common: the negotiations to address them are multilateral.

By Michel Ghazal In matters of decision strategy and conflict management, Mazarin advised: "If you decide to enact new laws, begin by demonstrating the imperative need for them to a council of sages, and work out the reform with them.

By Michel Ghazal Whether it is the CGT, Sud or Unsa at the SNCF or the three representative unions at the RATP (UNSA, CGT and CGC), they are all up in arms to make the government back down on its pension reform project. Even though everyone agrees on the diagnosis (already very old) and on the urgency of the measures to be taken, they are all moving to ensure that nothing changes, at least for them.

Since he took office, Boris Johnson has brandished what he would do if the European Union refused to renegotiate the agreement reached with Theresa May: an exit with a "no deal" on 31 October. The dispute is particularly focused on one point: the "safety net" designed to protect Europe from non-European products AND to avoid creating a physical border between the two Irelands.

The Harvard approach called "The Mutual Gains Strategy" teaches us that a key condition for the success of any negotiation is to have a good alternative to a negotiated agreement (MESORE) before it starts.

Faced with an unprecedented movement, President Macron and his government, disoriented and forced to act, finally gave in on the first demands on 10 December: abandonment of the tax on fuel, cancellation of the CSG increase

For weeks now, the question of extending the deadline for Brexit has been on the table. After a first postponement accepted until 12 April but which did not allow the UK to reach an agreement internally, Theresa May has been active in obtaining a new deadline. Emmanuel Macron defended a position of great firmness. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk, supported by Angela Merkel, was in favour of an extension until 2020.