On the third day of deconfinement, this Wednesday, May 13, the Minister of Labor Muriel Pénicaud announced a slight decrease in the numbers of partial unemployment and welcomed the reopening of shops. Today, cumulative requests for partial unemployment concern a little more than 12 million employees for a million companies. " Active requests " fell " to 11 million and 200,000 employees, " announced on France Info this morning Muriel Pénicaud. " It is the beginning of a decline (...) we are on the road to recovery ".
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" I welcome the reopening of 400,000 businesses " this week " and the 800,000 employees who go back to work, " she said. According to the Minister, " 50% " of the sites have returned to service. The industrial sector " has taken all sanitary measures " and "is running at 60% ". " As it grows (...) it will take time but for construction sites we can estimate that within a month 100% will have reopened, " said the Minister of Labor, repeating the objective fixed the day before by the Minister for Housing Julien Denormandie. " For industry, it can take longer, the aeronautical or automotive sectors being more affected, " said Muriel Pénicaud.
The Minister reaffirmed that the partial unemployment scheme is intended to evolve gradually from June. "We have to go step by step, (...) we will accompany the decline, " she said, adding that "in early June we will lower the share of the State (...) encourage things to start again. This adaptation of the measures will be decided " by the end of the week ".
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Asked about the possibility of a conference on low wages and a possible increase in the minimum wage, requested in particular by the CGT, the minister estimated that " the crisis has revealed to everyone the importance of certain trades considered second-rate " A reference to the employees who remained "on the front line": garbage collectors, cashiers, truck drivers ... " There is a before and after confinement ", she added, continuing: " I will summon all the professional branches concerned so that we can look at how and in what context they can take charge of wage developments ”. As for the increase in the minimum wage, it " is not the right voice ", she judged, explaining that " many trades" at the front "would not be affected ". According to her, " the classifications by branch must be reviewed ".
" My priority is that the 12 million people " who have benefited from the system " find their jobs ". " There are still things ahead of us, we cannot hope to have full economic activity ," continued the minister. " Many activities remain under-active, the goal is that everyone can reactivate their work contract ".
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Muriel Pénicaud took the opportunity to indicate that 5 million employees were still teleworking. " It never happened, " she said. The Minister had an appointment Tuesday with the social partners to discuss the subject. " All the texts are there, the legislation is already quite precise (...), I think it is important that all the social-economic committees meet to discuss the modalities, " she said, acknowledging " problems "sometimes" in practice ".