Emmanuel Macron repeated it again Wednesday evening, from the military field hospital of Mulhouse, about the efforts to be carried out to come to end the epidemic of Covid-19: "When one starts a war one s we are fully committed to it, we are mobilizing in union. "

However, if many French people are already on deck - in hospitals and in supermarkets in particular -, for many, the effort will come at the end of confinement, at the time of the resumption of economic activity in the country.

>> Read: The coronavirus causes a loss of activity of 35% in France

Because faced with the looming recession, the government intends to make life easier for businesses when they seek to relaunch. Several orders signed by Emmanuel Macron, Wednesday, March 25, thus largely modify certain articles of the Labor Code relating to working time, the taking of paid holidays and days of reduction in working time (RTT). These provisions are however limited in time: they will only be valid until 31 December 2020.

60 hour week in some areas

Article 6 of ordinance n ° 2020-323 stipulates that, "in companies belonging to sectors of activity particularly necessary for the security of the Nation and the continuity of economic and social life", the maximum weekly duration "can be worn for up to sixty hours". A provision which already existed until now but which could only be granted by decree in certain very rare cases. The sectors concerned are those of the food industry, energy, transport, telecommunications and even logistics.

>> Read: Coronavirus: France must prepare for "a long effort" to recover

Does this mean that all the employees concerned will now work 60 hours a week? The answer is no. This provision allows companies to work up to 60 hours, but not over time.

"If it is occasional, for example for one or two weeks, volunteering is not required," said the Ministry of Labor in Le Parisien. An employee refusing to work more may therefore be dismissed. But "if it is a new organization of work that lasts one or two months, volunteering is required", specifies the entourage of Muriel Pénicaud, still in Le Parisien.

For other companies, the hourly ceiling, currently 44 hours per week on average over twelve consecutive weeks, is raised to 48 hours. But beware, for the employees concerned, it will indeed be increased overtime.

Paid leave and RTT imposed by the employer

The unions note, however, that the employees will find it very difficult to chain several weeks of 60 hours. "It is heresy, because in these essential sectors, we need to spare the employees who are mobilized. We risk adding to the risk of epidemic a risk of fatigue, exhaustion, by working hours more important and reduced rest times ", notably underlined the general secretary of Force Ouvrière, Yves Veyrier, Wednesday morning on RTL.

The trade unionist points to another provision of article 6: "The daily rest period fixed in article L. 3131-1 of the Labor Code can be reduced up to 9 consecutive hours" in certain sectors, instead of 11 hours currently. Article 7 also specifies that certain companies may work seven days a week.

>> Read: Coronavirus: 40,000 volunteers ready to help farmers

However, the changes to the Labor Code that are most likely to displease employees concern paid holidays and RTT days. Article 1 of ordinance n ° 2020-323 thus allows employers, thanks to "a company agreement, or, failing this, a branch agreement" to "decide to take days of paid vacation acquired by an employee (...) or to unilaterally modify the dates of taking paid holidays ", all" within the limit of six days of holidays ". Clearly, employers will be able to force their employees to take paid holidays during the confinement period, but also in the months to come if they deem it necessary.

On the other hand, no need for a company or branch agreement for the employer to impose the taking of RTT days and rest days "allocated to the employee's time savings account" - during the confinement period and up to '' as of December 31, 2020.

The national secretary of the union of CFE-CGC executives, Jean-François Foucard, interviewed by FranceInfo, notes that "it is interesting for the State, because it prevents people from being partially unemployed", which will avoid digging a little more public finances. As for companies, they "want to avoid everyone leaving at the same time, when it starts again," he analyzes.

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