How to reward the effort of the thousands of caregivers who mobilized all their strength during the coronavirus epidemic? The government plans to pay them a national tribute on July 14, to give them a medal of engagement. But also, more immediately, pay them a premium.
Read also: Caregivers back on the street
This bonus must reward "the incredible dedication of all the nursing staff" , in the words of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. It is a bonus " free of any tax or social levy, that is to say net of everything, " he said on April 15, after a council of ministers. This represents an effort of 1.3 billion euros from the state, according to estimates by the Ministry of Health.
1,500 euros net in the most affected departments
The amount of this bonus varies from one professional to another, according to several criteria. The first is the exercise department. In the forty departments most affected by the epidemic, the list of which was specified by decree on June 13, employees will receive the maximum premium of 1,500 euros. This applies to caregivers, but also to other categories of personnel (administrative agents, in particular), whether they are permanent, trainees, contract workers or apprentices.
The departments concerned by this maximum premium are mainly located in the east of the territory. In these front-line areas, employees of public hospitals, but also those of nursing homes, nursing homes, care, support and prevention centers in addiction, will be entitled to the premium. Whether their establishment is public or private.
In burgundy color, the departments where employees are eligible for the maximum bonus of 1,500 euros. Le Figaro
The premium must be paid at the latest with the June pay slip. All AP-HP agents working in Hauts-de-France or Île-de-France have already received, with their salary for the month of May, this bonus of 1500 euros, we are told.
A bonus of 500 euros in the rest of France
In the remaining 61 departments, less affected by the epidemic, the nursing staff will receive a reduced premium: its amount has been set at 500 euros.
117 hospitals, however located in these departments less affected by the epidemic, are an exception to the rule. " It is in particular the hospitals which welcomed some of our patients, when they were transferred ", specifies Christian Prud'homme, FO general secretary and nurse anesthetist at the Hautepierre hospital in Strasbourg, which welcomed a significant wave of patients. In these establishments, the list of which has been published in a decree, the directors may choose to pay the maximum bonus of 1,500 euros. They will still have to make choices: no more than " 40% of the establishment's physical staff " will be able to receive this maximum bonus.
So that all their employees receive the maximum sum of 1,500 euros, whatever their department of practice, certain private organizations have decided to " supplement " the bonus promised by the government. This is particularly the case of the Korian group, which owns 300 Ehpad in France, after a strike by its employees for payment of the bonus " without discrimination " for all.
Regardless of the department, the premium will be reduced in the event of the employee's prolonged absence (whether he works on the premises of his establishment, or telecommutes). If the employee has been absent for more than 30 days during the period from March 1 to April 30, the amount of his premium will be halved. All health workers will also receive a 50% increase in their overtime during the crisis - which is expected to be paid by September 1.
Certain professions excluded
Certain health professionals, notably liberals, are however excluded from this bonus scheme. This is for example the case of home helpers. This Monday, the Departmental Council of Meurthe-et-Moselle announced the payment of a bonus of 1500 euros to the 2000 agents of the department. Mathieu Klein, president (socialist) of the Departmental Council of Meurthe-et-Moselle, criticized the "incomprehensible government decision" to pay "bonuses only to state and health personnel, leaving local authorities to assume expenses for other professionals ” .
In the absence of a government premium, other liberal professions will be able to count on their pension funds to pay them aid at the end of the crisis. The Autonomous Pension Fund for Dental Surgeons and Midwives (CARCDSF) will thus pay 4,500 euros to dental surgeons and 1,000 euros to midwives. The Liberal Doctors' Pension Fund (CARMF) will pay aid of 2,000 euros for all liberal doctors.
Hospital staff request a lasting revaluation
The government has agreed that the boost this bonus will not alleviate the ills of the hospital that preceded the coronavirus crisis. “ Nobody is going to spit on this bonus, for certain employees, such as ASH [Agents of hospital services] or nursing assistants, it sometimes represents a doubling of the salary. But this is not the end, ”says Christian Prud'homme. The unions, in a broad coalition (CGT, FO, SUD, Unsa) and with several hospital collectives (Inter-Hospitals and Inter-Emergencies) called for a "national day of action" this Tuesday afternoon. They are now calling for a more lasting increase in salaries, up to 300 euros net monthly for all hospital staff, as well as a major recruitment plan.
Since May 25, discussions have started with the social partners within the " Ségur de la Santé ". According to estimates by the French Hospital Federation, revealed by Les Échos , a salary increase should represent an additional cost of 5 to 8 billion euros per year for the public hospital, depending on the number of professions that would be concerned.
Read also: "Health safety": why city medicine should not be forgotten
The Minister of Health Olivier Véran has promised that the remuneration of French carers would be raised " at least " up to the European average.