The controversy has caused a crisis within the majority in recent weeks: LREM deputies first refused to extend the legal duration of the bereavement leave - before proposing to extend it. This painful question is an opportunity for our columnist Roland Perez, lawyer, to recall the number of days to which employees are entitled at all stages of their lives.
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Leave for all employees, without distinction
For bereavement of a child, the law currently provides for a five-day leave. The proposal to increase it to twelve days was rejected by the majority for, in particular, not making the employer bear 100% of the cost of the absence. The outcry prompted Emmanuel Macron to leave his reserve - for comparison, the same leave is set at 15 days in England. A new proposal plans to align with this model.
Beyond this controversy, the law provides for all kinds of leaves for various family events, such as marriage, PACS or the birth of a child. They apply to all employees, regardless of the type of contract or seniority:
- 4 days for the marriage of an employee or the conclusion of a PACS
- 1 day only for the marriage of a child
- 3 days for the death of the spouse or a parent
Additional cases in certain companies
In the cases listed below, the company that pays the employee's compensation is absent. In others, such as paternity leave and childcare leave, from which any employee can benefit whether he is the child's natural father or stepfather, it is Social Security that fully finances or partially the compensation for the absence of the employee, provided by law for at least 11 days for a child and 18 days for 2 or more children. This leave can be taken within four months of the birth or of the child's arrival in the home.
Please note that collective agreements and branch agreements can extend these leaves and even add new ones, such as moving leave for example, or those granted for a baptism or a communion. It remains to read them carefully!