Twenty-four hours after the announcement of an agreement on the remuneration of hospital staff, three majority unions gave the green light Friday to this flagship component of the "Ségur de la Santé", which provides 7.5 billion euros of salary increases.
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This majority agreement, covering all paramedical (nurses, nursing assistants) and non-medical (technical and administrative agents) personnel, constitutes a victory for the government, which hopes for a similar decision concerning a second protocol negotiated with hospital doctors. . Health Minister Olivier Véran said Thursday he wanted a "majority agreement" for the entry into force of this package of measures, put on the table after seven weeks of negotiations and a final marathon negotiation session on Wednesday night in Thursday.
Three unions decided after internal discussion to validate the document: Force Ouvrière (second union in the hospital public service with 24.7% of the votes), CFDT (24.1%) and Unsa (5.6%), allowing to cross the threshold of 50% representativeness. The first to announce its signature, the CFDT-Santé welcomed in a press release "a historic agreement" . "Unfortunately, it took a global pandemic for these professionals to finally be recognized" but "a big step has been taken," she said. FO-Santé indicated for its part that it "received a clear mandate from its authorities to validate the protocol" , qualified as "acceptable compromise", even if it "cannot be the balance of any account" . This agreement "marks a certain recognition to the staff" , underlined for its part Unsa. The two other representative unions, SUD and the CGT, have not made their decision public at this stage, but have indicated that they are very reserved: with four other organizations, they are calling for a "national day of action" the 14th of July. "This negotiation, announced as being that of the resolution of health problems, made with great media fuss, actually turned out to be a masquerade," denounced the CGT, regretting that part of the envelope goes to private sector.
"A compromise that looks good"
The protocol provides for 20 measures, including a salary increase of 183 euros net monthly for all "staff of hospitals and nursing homes" , with an initial revaluation of 90 euros on September 1 and another of 93 euros on March 1 2021. The envelope - totaling 7.5 billion euros - also includes a "revision" of the salary scales for certain trades (nurses, radio operators ...), allowing an extension of the order 35 euros net per month on average for the agents concerned, according to the ministry. Further increases are also envisaged for overtime, as well as night work, Sunday and public holidays. Of "recruitment" are mentioned but finally the 15,000 positions mentioned by several participants are not black and white.
"A trade unionist will always tell you that he would have wanted more" but "there are times when you have to conclude" and "it's time to conclude" said CFDT general secretary Laurent Berger on Friday. It is “a compromise that looks great,” added his counterpart to Force Ouvrière, Yves Veyrier.
As for doctors, who were the subject of separate negotiations, a majority agreement also seemed in sight Friday evening, three of the five representative unions (INPH, CMH, Snam-HP), together weighing more than 50%, being ready to sign a project at 450 million euros, according to concordant sources. "We did not have everything we wanted" but "it is not an end, it is a beginning, which must bring other projects, especially on the governance" of hospitals, said Rachel Bocher , President of the National Intersyndicat of Hospital Practitioners (INPH). The document, of which AFP obtained a copy, includes 16 measures, including an increase in the premium paid to practitioners who agree to work only in public hospitals, without excess fees. A “revision” of the salary scales is also envisaged “from January 1, 2021” . The official signing of the memoranda of understanding should take place on Monday in Matignon, according to several sources. Other measures, relating to the other components of the “Ségur de la santé” (investment, governance, etc.), which ended on Friday, could be announced this week.
