Bayonne: when François Mitterrand defended social security at the Mutualité Française congress

For the last time in his life as President, François Mitterrand closed, on Saturday September 17, 1994, this event, which he never missed. Reassured to have once again touched the left in the heart, he left behind him a scent of nostalgia.


François Mitterrand at the Congress of the Mutual…

For the last time in his life as President, François Mitterrand closed, on Saturday September 17, 1994, this event, which he never missed. Reassured to have once again touched the left in the heart, he left behind him a scent of nostalgia.

François Mitterrand at the Congress of the Mutualité Française in Bayonne in September 1994.


François Mitterrand at the Congress of the Mutualité Française in Bayonne in September 1994.

South West Archives/Jean-Daniel Chopin

François Mitterrand threw himself into the mutualist arena like a child in the straw, with the sole restraint of his old age, totally happy to be there in front of 3,500 delegates standing like one man and clapping his hands wildly. The president joined the old mayor of Bayonne, Henri Grenet who, glued to his chair, welcomed him with a few words of warmth.

Jean-Pierre Davant, president of the National Federation of Mutual Insurance, then delivered a speech to the two patriarchs anticipating the one that was to follow.

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“The social protection system, as it currently functions, is at the end of its rope: the level of overall reimbursement is the lowest in Europe, but it is in France that employees pay the highest contributions, without forget that the health indicators are mediocre,” underlined Jean-Pierre Davant. “Initially a factor of progress and social cohesion, this system has aged and has also become structurally in deficit. Solutions must be found to the excesses of a healthcare system that generates economic waste and human drama. »

A plea for Social Security and the mutualist spirit

François Mitterrand at the Congress of the Mutualité Française in Bayonne in September 1994. He spoke with Jean Grenet, then General Counsel and deputy for Pyrénées-Atlantiques.


François Mitterrand at the Congress of the Mutualité Française in Bayonne in September 1994. He spoke with Jean Grenet, then General Counsel and deputy for Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

South West Archives/Jean-Daniel Chopin

His turn came, the president got up without stiffness, to move towards the desk with delight. At the first word, the shock in the room. The president had a cat in his throat. We thought back to the first minutes of the interview with Elkabbach. But he immediately explained: “I have a loss of voice. Rather than forfeit, I will count on your attention, on the power of the microphones and on your patience, ”he said in the preamble, fragile and determined.

Then he launched into a plea for Social Security and the mutualist spirit. Going back far in time, to the workers’ movements of the last century, “inspirers of solidarity”. Pleasing to recall the memory of the pioneers: “The Philanthropic Society, the Mutual Duty, the Society of Canuts of Lyon, the Typographers of Nantes, the Stonecutters of Marseille…”

the guarantor of the fundamental interests of the nation and its social achievements.

Arms immersed up to the elbows in this left-wing culture that has been discussed with him for several weeks, Mitterrand only mentioned two men during his speech: René Teulade, former Minister of Social Affairs and of the National Federation of French Mutual Insurance. And Pierre Bérégovoy. “I regret that the project of these two men to create a fund that would have guaranteed pensions from 2005 was not followed,” he said.

Denouncing the threats that he believes weigh on social security, he recalled his role as guarantor “of the fundamental interests of the nation and its social achievements”.

Thinly veiled reviews

“In the event of a breach of the essential principles of social cohesion, I would have the duty to seize the country. And I would have enough energy left to do it, ”he said, suddenly finding himself in a bit of an angry voice, his finger pointing forward. He clarified his barely veiled criticisms of the Balladur government: “Doing nothing, putting back the choices, is threatening all social protection”. Before expanding the target and echoing the speech of Jean-Pierre Davant: “There may be some who have an interest in letting the deficits slip away…”

I would like the pension system to be protected from financial speculation and based on distribution, solidarity between generations

Quoting insurance companies and banks in passing, François Mitterrand further declared: “Privatizations have made some voracious. They see the seriousness of the situation as a godsend… I would like the pension system to be protected from financial speculation and based on distribution, solidarity between generations. »

It was after concluding by relaunching his proposal for a social contract for employment that he dropped his last sentence to thunderous applause:

Stay true to your commitments and values. Continue the centuries-old fight started before you and that our children will continue.

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Bayonne: when François Mitterrand defended social security at the Mutualité Française congress


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