Jean Castex in front of the National Assembly, October 29, 2020. -

AFP

After the announcement of a reconfinement of the country on Wednesday evening, Jean Castex specified certain measures this Thursday against the National Assembly.

The Prime Minister invited companies to use telework "as massively as possible" and announced an extension of financial unemployment aid to the tune of 20 billion euros.

"The use of telework must be as massive as possible" during confinement, said Jean Castex, specifying that "in the private sector, all the functions that can be teleworked must be five days out of five".

"The new rule on teleworking will be included in the protocol which will be put online this evening", specified in the wake of the Ministry of Labor.

"Failure to comply with this rule is a breach of the obligation to protect employees which exposes the employer to a civil or criminal sanction," adds the ministry.

A new budget presented next week

Jean Castex also announced an extension of partial unemployment and the solidarity fund to support businesses during the new national confinement, financed by an amending budget that the government will present next week.

"On Wednesday, the Council of Ministers will adopt a new amending finance bill providing for an additional 20 billion euros to finance these support and accompanying measures", explained the Prime Minister.

"SMEs that are experiencing difficulties will be able to benefit from increased exemptions from charges and we will extend the loans guaranteed by the State for six months", also announced the Jean Castex.

In detail, "all sectors subject to administrative closure will benefit from aid of up to 10,000 euros per month via the solidarity fund" and, for these same sectors, "we are setting up the partial activity with zero charge for the employer ”.

Ten billion euros per month of confinement

"For other sectors, the partial activity device in force, which was to be reduced on November 1, will be maintained and extended for employees, under current conditions", also specified the head of government.

"We must collectively assume these expenses", he launched in front of the deputies, by arguing "to do nothing would have an economic, financial and especially human cost even more considerable".

According to the Minister of Public Accounts, Olivier Dussopt, a month of confinement represents "10 billion euros in intervention spending".

“When activity stops for a whole month, it is between 2 and 2.5 points of GDP that we lose.

It is more than 10 billion euros of intervention expenditure and it is at least 10 billion euros of loss of tax revenue, ”he explained on Wednesday, recalling that since the start of the crisis, the 'State had seen its revenues fall by 70 billion euros in tax revenue.

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