Paris (AFP)
The new partial unemployment scheme, which must be defined as of this week during consultations with union and employer organizations, will be in effect for "one to two years", announced Monday on franceinfo Muriel Pénicaud, the Minister of Labor.
"It is intended to last one to two years, it is part of the cursors that we will decide" during the consultation which should start this Monday, she added.
This deadline is not linked to the end of the five-year term but "to the economic crisis", she explained.
The government announced Thursday several consultations to support employment, including one on the terms of a partial activity system, which will be implemented by a collective agreement of company or branch. It would give rise to compensation in return for continued employment.
In April, 8.6 million workers were partially unemployed, said the minister, who does not yet have the figures for May.
Since the start of the crisis in March, the government has put in place an exceptional partial unemployment scheme to avoid layoffs.
Since June 1st, State and Unédic coverage has decreased from 100% to 85% of the compensation paid to employees, with the exception of sectors which have been restricted due to the crisis sanitary such as tourism or catering.
"This device will keep his job, the company will keep its skills," said the minister.
Among the counterparts, maintaining employment and, "if there is a drop in wages during the crisis (after the crisis, note), we make more profit sharing. This will be negotiated in the company".
The minister also announced the organization on Tuesday of a "job seminar" with the social partners.
In a press release, the Ministry of Labor explained on Monday that this meeting "on the employment situation in France and in Europe (diagnoses, challenges and prospects)" will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Muriel Pénicaud will receive multilateral numbers from union and employer organizations.
Wednesday and Thursday, the director of cabinet, Antoine Foucher, will receive bilaterally each organization "to deepen the discussions on the evolution of the criteria of partial activity and the establishment of a system of partial activity of long duration".
Muriel Pénicaud will receive employer and union officials on June 12 and 15, also bilaterally.
In addition to the partial activity, the Minister of Labor was instructed by the President of the Republic on Thursday to pilot four other projects to support employment: the support plan for young people, vocational training, posted workers and unemployment insurance.
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