A Winter sports resort.
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Pixabay
Many seasonal workers have seen their incomes drop drastically this year.
The government announced this Thursday an aid for precarious, seasonal, intermittent or extras workers with a "guaranteed resource of 900 euros per month" until February 2021;
But according to several unions, the conditions to benefit from it are too restrictive, which will in fact reduce the number of beneficiaries.
Since the start of the health crisis, seasonal workers have been in the rough: some have not been recalled by their usual employers, others have exhausted their unemployment rights ... And a new blow announced Tuesday by Emmanuel Macron, then confirmed by Jean Castex this Thursday: there will be no skiing at Christmas.
"Many of these workers are in a relationship with another seasonal worker, sometimes with dependent children, these difficulties accumulate and they live scantily", notes Eric Becker, federal secretary at Force Ouvrière, in charge of seasonal workers.
Aware of this reality, the government announced on Thursday an aid for precarious, seasonal, intermittent or extras workers with a "guaranteed resource of 900 euros per month" until February 2021. The Minister of Labor, Élisabeth Borne, has specified in the wake that the aid will concern "those who worked more than 60% of the time in 2019" and "who could not work enough in 2020 to recharge their rights" to unemployment because of the crisis linked to the coronavirus .
Aid which "will be paid by Pole Emploi every two months", specifies the Ministry of Labor.
"The government must review its copy"
Another condition for receiving this aid: "have a current income that does not exceed 900 euros per month", informs the Ministry of Labor.
The minimum income guarantee of 900 euros per month will apply to the months of November, December, January and February and will benefit "nearly 400,000 precarious workers, including 70,000 young people", detailed the Minister of Labor.
And if the seasonal worker resumes a job, he may still receive part of this exceptional assistance.
The aid of 900 euros will then be reduced by a sum equivalent to 40% of his salary.
For example, if the person finds a job paying 2,000 euros, he will no longer receive 900 euros in aid, but 100 euros.
This financial boost had been requested by several unions.
But for them, the account is not there.
“It's an announcement effect, which does not take into account the reality of seasonal employment in France.
Because the condition of having worked 60% of the time in 2019 [60% of the days of the year, according to the Ministry of Labor] de facto excludes very many people, ”said Antoine Fatiga, CGT representative of the seasonal branch.
An opinion shared by Eric Becker: “The government must review its copy;
at best, a seasonal worker works 5 or 6 months a year ”.
And therefore less than 60% of the time.
An assertion that overlaps with the portrayal of seasonal workers made by Dares in December 2019. According to this study, if 55% of these workers complete their seasonal activity with at least one other job over a period of twelve months, the remaining 45% do not have no other contract during the year.
"It's not enough to live"
In addition, the amount of aid granted to the beneficiaries of this measure is considered too low: “We had requested aid of 1,500 euros.
Because some seasonal workers have already taken accommodation in a winter sports resort, which costs them 500 to 700 euros per month.
So 900 euros is clearly not a panacea, ”says Eric Becker.
“It's not enough to live,” adds Antoine Fatiga.
Emmanuel Macron therefore announced on Tuesday that the winter sports resorts would probably not be open before mid-January, but the government encouraged employers to continue to recruit seasonal workers now.
“Professionals should not hesitate to hire them, even if it means asking for partial unemployment”, declared Elisabeth Borne.
“This would allow them to touch partial unemployment.
But many employers do not because they do not necessarily have the cash to advance the costs before being reimbursed by the State.
In order for them to do so, the government must commit to ensuring that the payment periods are very short, ”insists Eric Becker, who intends to challenge the executive again on all these points.
As Antoine Fatiga: "We do not want seasonal workers to be forced to knock on the door of Restos du cœur", he insists.
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