On Monday, September 28, Marylise Léon, the secretary general of the CFDT, expressed her concern on France 2 about remarks made by Patrick Martin, president of the Medef, a major French employers' organization. Martin had criticized the CFDT and the CGT, two of France's largest trade unions, during a meeting of the U2P (Union des entreprises de proximité) last Thursday. He accused them of "over-politicizing" their activities, suggesting that their focus on political issues might detract from their role in representing workers. Léon responded strongly, stating that it was "very serious" for a representative of a business organization to make such comments. She argued that the accusation was "completely reversed," pointing out that the far-right political party in France is the real threat to social democracy, as it seeks to eliminate trade unions and show little openness to democratic values. In a Sunday article in Tribune dimanche, Léon reiterated that the CFDT has never called for voting for a specific political candidate in the past thirty years. The CFDT, as the largest French trade union, maintains a strict policy of not engaging with far-right candidates or representatives. During the 2024 legislative elections, the union called for a barrier against the far right, a stance shared by the CGT as well. Patrick Martin, during the U2P meetings, emphasized that while political expression from certain organizations is not inherently bad, it should not be the sole focus of their work. He argued that such an approach could harm social democracy and cast doubt on the unions' true intentions. "One wonders, in the end, for whom are they really working?" he asked, suggesting that the unions might be prioritizing political goals over the needs of workers. The exchange highlights the ongoing tensions between French trade unions and employer organizations, particularly regarding the role of politics in labor representation. Both sides continue to assert their positions, with the unions emphasizing their commitment to social democracy and the employers' group cautioning against what they see as an over-political focus.