" It is a powerful, massive and unprecedented device " welcomed Muriel Pénicaud this Saturday afternoon on the antenna of BFMTV when she was asked about the number of companies that had set up short-time working. The Minister of Labor recalled that on Friday, April 3, five million French workers benefited from partial unemployment in 470,000 companies. Conversely, around fifty companies have been refused to set up this system, mainly those whose activity had not been impacted and who did not need it.
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Save millions of jobs
" Last night, five million employees benefit from partial unemployment, requested by 470,000 companies, explained Muriel Pénicaud. Five million employees, that's one employee in four, in companies and associations. This testifies to the fact that we have set up a powerful, massive system that has never been done in France, a system that will save millions of jobs. "
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The Minister of Labor then compared the situation of French employees with that of their American colleagues. “ In the United States, ten million people registered unemployed in 15 Days. This is not the case in France. This system will allow employees to keep their jobs and companies will bounce back while retaining their skills. "
Control and sanction for fraudsters
Asked about the companies that would force their employees to work despite the establishment of short-time working, Muriel Pénicaud explained that this practice was " completely illegal ", that there would be " a posteriori control " and " the sanctions provided for by the Labor Code ”. " We have some alerts," she added. In any system, there are fraudsters ... "
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The Minister of Labor also announced that only 50 companies out of the 470,000 who had applied for it were not allowed to set up short-time working. Mainly cases where it was not necessary because the activity had not suffered at all from the crisis.