Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labor, visits a workshop to make masks for the Vitamin T group, which employs people in professional reintegration, on May 19, 2020, in Lesquin. – Sarah ALCALAY / SIPA
The Senate dominated by the right-wing opposition gave the green light this Tuesday to an amendment of the
government allowing modulation of the partial unemployment schemeFrom June 1, as part of an emergency bill.
The Ministry of Labour had announced Monday that the assumption of responsibility for the partial activity by the State and Unédic would pass from 100 to 85% of the allowance paid to the employee, within the unchanged limit of 4,5 Smic, certain sectors, which will defined by decree, such as tourism, culture or catering, which may however continue to benefit from 100% support.
“We are not cutting partial unemployment, we are just supporting it”
The amendment voted by the Senate, within the framework of the examination at first reading of a bill carrying “urgent provisions facing the epidemic of Covid-19”, aims to allow this sectoral differentiation in a “phase to support the recovery, “said the Minister of Labor Muriel Pénicaud.
“We do not cut short-time working, we are just accompanying it with a gradual reduction in the state’s support vis-à-vis the company,” said the minister, ensuring that “it does not change anything for employees ”. “We are not going to put the French economy forever on perfusion,” said Muriel Pénicaud, recalling that the government wanted at the beginning of the crisis “to act in a massive, immediate way.”
“It’s a lot of money, you have to mobilize it where you need it,” she said. In addition to maintaining “massive support” for sectors that are still at a standstill, the Minister cited the maintenance of the provisions relating to partial unemployment for parents of children who could not be admitted to school, mentioned earlier by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
The minister also wished “to be able to adapt for certain sectors, including the automobile industry”, in order to “avoid waves of layoffs”.
An amendment to the supplement to the income of employees validated
The Senate rejected another government amendment on the creation of an “alternative system” of short-time working workers, the drafting of which was deemed “too vague”. On the other hand, it adopted, with a favorable opinion from the government, an amendment by LR senators allowing, by collective agreement, the implementation of two mechanisms aimed at supplementing the incomes of employees within the framework of a placement in partial activity.
The first allows the employer to organize a solidarity between the employees of the company, so as to monetize days of rest or paid holidays from those who have not suffered loss of remuneration towards those who have seen their earnings decrease. The second aims to allow employees who have suffered a cut in their earnings to supplement their income by monetizing days of rest or paid leave.
The Senate will continue its consideration of the clauses of the bill in the evening.
–
