On Friday, October 2, David Amiel, the minister of Public Action and Public Accounts, proposed to public sector unions an increase in the minimum index of civil servants starting January 1. This proposal comes despite a provision in the draft 2027 finance bill that would freeze the index point of civil servants. If implemented, the measure would allow around 400,000 public sector employees to earn a base salary higher than the minimum wage. The proposal was announced during a meeting with public sector unions, following a major demonstration on Tuesday, where approximately 200,000 people marched in France to protest poor pay conditions in the public sector. Amiel told the unions that the increase would include "permanent injections of index points in the lower echelons," aiming to give value to career progression and seniority. The 2027 finance bill, however, includes a new freeze on the index point of civil servants, which the government presented the day before the meeting. According to the law, the government must provide a differential allowance to public sector employees whose indicial income is below the minimum wage. In 2026, this affected 862,000 people. The government's goal is to move 400,000 of them out of this group, allowing them to earn more than the minimum wage. For the remaining employees, the change would be neutral, as any additional earnings from the minimum index increase would no longer be offset by the differential allowance. Amiel explained that for these employees, the change would involve "replacing a catch-up allowance with an indicial salary." He added that the increase in the index point, which is crucial for calculating the pensions of civil servants, would have beneficial consequences for the pensions of public sector employees. However, Damien Martinez of the CGT union criticized the proposal as "small measures" and "posturing" that "does not go far enough." He described it as a "far from satisfying" proposal for the union. Since 2017, public sector employees have only seen their index point increased in 2022 (+3.5%) and 2023 (+1.5%), for a total increase slightly above 5%. Meanwhile, according to the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), cumulative inflation since 2017 is expected to reach 24.17% by the end of 2026. A new intersyndical meeting is scheduled to take place "next week," according to Martinez. The union Force Ouvrière had decided not to participate in the meeting on Friday.