Unions and employers meet Monday afternoon with the desire to reach an agreement on teleworking before the end of the day - or the night.

But many stumbling blocks persist, especially on possible new obligations imposed on companies.

It's a bit of a faint hope meeting that will take place on Monday afternoon.

In any case, it is the last scheduled between unions and employers on the thorny subject of teleworking, increasingly significant with the second confinement intended to fight against the coronavirus epidemic.

The objective is therefore to find an agreement during the day or at night, depending on the progress of the discussions.

The Medef wants to be confident, but the positions of each other remain distant on many points, and not the least.

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The big question is whether the employers will finally accept that the text that will come out of the negotiations creates new obligations for companies.

Until now, he did not want it: he considers that the framework for teleworking is already fixed by an agreement concluded in 2005, and by the Macron ordinances of 2017 ... and that the goal of today's negotiations, c t is only to clarify the existing rules to make it easier for companies to apply them.

The thorny definition of teleworking positions

The unions, for their part, demand that the agreement that will be concluded lead to new obligations for companies.

When it comes to defining teleworking positions, for example, the unions demand that this be dealt with by social dialogue in the company (in other words, that it be the subject of negotiation).

The employers are opposed to it: they believe that this subject is the sole responsibility of the employer.

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Another sticking subject: the assumption by the company of the costs caused by teleworking - the internet subscription, for example, or the heating costs.

The text that is on the table provides for this support, but the unions consider it ambiguous, and they would like a flat rate of a few tens of euros per month to be instituted in each company.

In exceptional circumstances, the decision to the State or to the employer

In terms of health and safety - a sensitive issue!

- Does the employer see his responsibility reduced by the fact that the employee works at home, and that the company cannot verify that he complies with all the rules?

The unions do not want the employers to shirk their obligations in this area.

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Finally, the text provides for a whole chapter on teleworking in the event of exceptional circumstances (such as the current pandemic).

In this case, the employee's agreement is not required, it is the employer who decides to switch his teams to telework.

The unions (especially FO) want this decision to come directly from the public authorities.