The discontent begins to rise among the craftsmen.
In question, most are not eligible for the tariff shield put in place by the government to limit the rise in energy prices.
For smaller companies, this shield applies to “
those with a turnover of less than two million euros and with fewer than ten employees
”.
“
They are thus protected by regulated sales tariffs, with an increase which will be limited to 15%
” next year, assures the government.
Last criterion of this price shield: not to exceed an electrical power of 36 kilovolt-amperes (kVA).
Problem, to run their business, craftsmen generally need more power.
For example, a medium-sized bakery, between 6 and 8 employees, needs about 72 kVA.
“
The yeast machines, the kneader and the ovens consume a lot of electricity.
Bakers are affected by the rise in energy prices, as are butchers and florists
, ”says Marc Sanchez, secretary general of the union of Independents and VSEs (SDI).
According to him, for the tariff shield, “
it would simply be necessary to take into account the size criteria and remove the power threshold
”.
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A claim that is becoming urgent for Dominique Anract, president of the National Confederation of French Bakery-Pastry (CNBPF): “
There is already a 20 to 25% increase in raw materials for bakers.
The rise in energy prices is a real blow for them, they are terrified.
“
Some have held out for the past two months with electricity bills of 5,000 euros, but next month they won't have enough to pay their salaries
,” warns Dominique Anract.
He adds that "it
is absolutely necessary to find a solution for the 35,000 French bakeries and pastry shops, at the risk of seeing many villages lose their business
".
“Passing on the price increase to the products”
But on the government side, the modification of the tariff shield is not on the agenda.
The office of Olivia Grégoire, Minister Delegate in charge of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, told
Le Figaro
that craftsmen have two solutions: “
the first is to pass on the rise in energy prices to their products
”.
“
It is for this reason that we have implemented the purchasing power package this summer so that households can absorb the increase in prices
,” adds the firm.
For Marc Sanchez, raising prices amounts to "
selling at a loss
", especially for bakers who "
are already experiencing a surge in raw materials
".
He warns that "
the level of alert is quite high for these professions
”.
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For the executive, a second solution is possible and would make it possible to avoid rising product prices: that of the resilience plan, allocated three billion euros.
Companies that do not fall within the tariff shield are still entitled to aid.
The system is indeed aimed at “
infrastructures whose gas and electricity purchases reached at least 3% of their turnover in 2021
”.
A threshold not to be exceeded, at the risk of being considered as an energy-intensive company.
Added to this is “
a doubling of the unit cost of purchasing electricity and gas over at least one month during the eligible period or periods
”.
This resilience plan, based on the gross operating surplus, "
aims to offset the additional costs of gas and electricity expenses
", beyond this doubling.
Depending on the company's gross operating surplus, the latter is not entitled to the same aid.
The different scenarios are explained in this FAQ, updated on Monday.
For Marc Sanchez, it is a “
complicated device that lacks clarity
”.
"
French companies are heterogeneous, so the aid is too
", defends the cabinet of Olivia Grégoire.
