Six weeks of intense talks, a few slammed doors (including that of the South union), a final acceleration with the unexpected appearance on stage of the new Prime Minister, Jean Castex, and surprise extension of 1.1 billion euros, to lead to a historic draft agreement in terms of amount - 7.5 billion euros released! - almost 20 years after the Guigou agreements of 2001, and while hospitals have been operating on a just-in-time basis for more than six months due to the coronavirus epidemic… The new Castex government, therefore, put this Wednesday evening on the table a draft agreement on which unions should vote by Monday, we hope the Ministry of Health. The unfortunate question of funding has not yet been addressed.
This agreement must be in the majority to be able to enter into force. About one million public hospital workers concerned will then be able to have their pay slip upgraded soon. In the last professional elections, the CGT won 31.7% of the vote, FO 24.7%, the CFDT 24.1% in particular.
The government had launched three separate negotiations around the strategic question of upgrading - one for doctors, the other for interns and medical students, the third for all so-called non-medical professions (paramedics such as nurses, physiotherapists, nursing assistants, but also administrative, stretcher bearers, electricians, etc.). It is on this last category that the draft agreement relates, whether it be hospitals or nursing homes.
An increase in two stages
Firstly, it proposes a revaluation known as the "base" of 180 euros net per month for all public and private non-profit agents and 160 euros net for those in the lucrative private sector. The unions initially demanded an additional 300 euros for all. A first revaluation of 90 euros net is officially acted for September, "but in fact, it will only intervene in January 2021, with retroactive effect since September 2020", nuance Mireille Stivala, the general secretary of the CGT Health Federation. A second revaluation of 90 euros net per month will take place in March 2021.
To this base would be added, for caregivers only, another financial revaluation allowed thanks to the recasting of the famous "grids" of the public service, recasting which would allow them to earn 35 euros more net per month from 2022 this time .
Finally, on the third stage of the rocket, an “HR” (human resources) policy would be favored in each establishment, making it possible in particular to set up profit-sharing agreements (individual or collective), but also to encourage hirings. The government expects a volume of 15,000 recruitments at the national level.
The CGT is not yet convinced
"Never has such a sum been put on the table, this effort is unprecedented," enthuses Frédéric Valletoux, the president of the French Hospital Federation (FHF) which brings together the establishments of the public. "Of course, we welcome this 180 euro salary increase, but when we know that nurses sometimes earn 800 euros less per month than in some neighboring countries, there is a lot of disillusionment ", Criticizes the CGT, by the voice of Mireille Stivala, who also regrets" that the public social sector and part of the medico-social are excluded from the scope of the agreement ".
The CGT also regrets that part of the envelope goes "to the lucrative private sector, which reap huge benefits". "With equivalent commitment, equivalent recognition", retorts Lamine Gharbi, of the Federation of French private hospitals and clinics (FHP), who stresses that "the monthly net salary of a nurse in the public is 8% higher than that from that in the private sector ”. The FHP, which represents 150,000 employees, is satisfied with this revaluation because "the situation was no longer tenable". For non-medical personnel, the ball is therefore now in the court of the unions.
No new date for negotiations with doctors
Negotiations with the hospital doctors' unions (which represent just under 100,000 white coats), came to an end last night. The government has also amended its copy, from 300 to 400 million euros (not forgetting 200 million euros for interns and students), proposing revaluations of the exclusive public service allowance, night guards, but also at the beginning and at the end of their career, but for the moment nothing helps.
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"The unions want the government to increase the monthly salary of doctors ( note: this would make any increase in salary final), " said an expert. "The Ségur de Santé carried the hopes [...] of the practitioners, it now carries their anger and their incomprehension", castigated Thursday afternoon the inter-union of doctors in a statement. No date for further negotiations with doctors has yet been set.
