" We are not going to choose between health and employment, we need both, " said Muriel Pénicaud this morning. Invited on LCI this morning, the Minister of Labor sent clear signals: we must return to work to " save jobs in the long term ". After nearly two months of confinement, some 400,000 non-food businesses reopen this Monday, May 11 in France, which represents nearly 900,000 jobs.
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" It is quite possible to target both health and the economy, and therefore employment, " said the minister, while ensuring that the resumption of economic activity in each sector was taking place. " Respecting the guides to health measures" and that no " compromise " would be made " on the health of workers ".
A “ modest ” then “ progressive ” charge for businesses
Partial unemployment claims now concern “ 12.2 million employees, ” said Muriel Pénicaud. The executive hopes that the system, of unprecedented scale to date, has now reached its peak and that the recession will begin to start. It must be said that the bill weighs heavily on the accounts of the State: the Minister estimated at 26 billion euros the cost of the device over three months. “ We cannot be confined indefinitely. It is not sustainable. "The gradual resumption of activity will allow the executive" to see the reality of the requests for partial unemployment that companies will use, "she said.
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Since the start of the crisis, partial unemployment has been covered 100% by the State, but from June there will be a " modest first, then progressive " balance for businesses that will have been able to reopen in May. " Today the conditions for recovery are there, so there is not so much reason for the state to continue paying wages. 6 out of 10 jobs in the private sector today are paid by the State, ”insisted Muriel Pénicaud. While discussions are already underway, an announcement should be made by the end of the week.
The partial unemployment scheme will nevertheless remain active at full rate for the sectors which cannot, for the moment, restart their activity, such as hotels and catering or events. ”
Relaxation of rules relating to short contracts
In the name of job preservation, a provision of the emergency bill opens the possibility for companies to derogate from the conditions of application and rules which govern short contracts (fixed-term contract, temporary work), by making the possibilities of extension more flexible or renewal. These “ most vulnerable employees ” had previously benefited from partial unemployment. According to a first estimate from INSEE, some 454,000 jobs were destroyed, mostly fixed-term contracts or temporary work assignments, in the private sector in the first quarter of 2020. “ It is not a question of lasting changes to the rules, but of temporarily change the law to prevent these workers from falling into unemployment, "said the minister. The terms of the arrangement and the lengthening periods will soon have to be decided by decree.
In addition, referring to the thorny debate around the extension of working hours, Muriel Pénicaud clarified that negotiations were initiated " through social dialogue, on a case-by-case basis in companies ". " The priority is that all French people can have a job. Then some sectors will have to make up for the lack of activity in recent weeks. "
One in four trades can remain teleworked
Some details were also given on telework. In the context of a pandemic, the Minister recalled that the employer can completely impose this mode of work on its employees. Employees who wish to do so can exercise their right , since the 2017 ordinances, to request telework if their activity allows them to do so. In France, one in four trades can remain teleworked, recalled the minister, citing the latest estimates. To reduce some reluctance to return to work, " good social dialogue " must be in order. “ Tens of thousands of social and economic committees meet every day. It is a real place for dialogue with elected staff, ”she said.
Finally, on the ban for companies to test their employees, the minister explained that the measure would, on the one hand, " not be effective because it would be necessary to test employees every day ", and on the other hand, that 'a company' cannot prescribe a medical procedure, because it falls within the field of private life. "
