The Republic on the march ready to backtrack, at least the time of the coronavirus? LREM spoke on Monday evening for the "rediscussion with the social partners of a relaxation of the eligibility criteria for unemployment insurance", during an executive office of the party. Reflecting the violent shock of confinement on the economy, the number of unemployed registered a historic increase in one month in March: + 7.1%. Over 10 million workers are also partially unemployed.
The Ministry of Labor had already announced Monday to want to initiate "a reflection with the social partners" to "quickly adapt" the unemployment insurance rules. At the start of the crisis, the executive suspended until September the second part of its reform, which tightens the calculation of the allowance for precarious workers, and which was to come into force on April 1. On the other hand, the rule already in force on November 1, which tightens the conditions of access (having worked six months in the last 24 months instead of 4 months out of 28) and reloading of rights, is still valid.
"Better support the unemployed"
According to the boss of La République en Marche, Stanislas Guerini, "this reform brings a large number of important elements which will aim at better support for the unemployed". "It is necessary but a discussion with the social partners in particular on the relaxation of eligibility criteria is important because we will not have to leave any citizen on the side of the road," he continued.
In a press release, the presidential movement believes that "it is clear that other measures will be necessary to protect those who find themselves and will find themselves unemployed because of the crisis". "During this period, the essential issue is to provide access to unemployment insurance and extend the rights of those who are expiring in order to protect all job seekers," he continues.
The Minister of Labor, Muriel Pénicaud, denied on Monday in Le Parisien an outright abandonment of the unemployment insurance reform, explaining that "we can not decide anything before actually observing what is happening in current life employees, job seekers. Without any a priori ”. The unions are demanding the abandonment of this reform decided last year when unemployment fell.
Economy
Coronavirus: Over 10 million part-time workers in France
- LREM
- Coronavirus
- Unemployment