Dismissed during the Covid-19 crisis: "We are the forgotten ones of the crisis"

When the phone rang on March 19, Lola did not expect her manager to tell her that her contract was over. Three days after the start of confinement, the news fell for the assistant manager of a leather goods store. "I suspected it was going to be complicated but deep down, I was hoping that it would not happen," said the 26-year-old Parisian, freshly hired on a permanent contract. His trial period lasted barely a month.

Nathalie was also dismissed in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. The sales representative on fixed-term contract was notified by e-mail. "I literally fell to the ground when I heard the news," she says. I was one of the best sellers and I find myself overnight on the floor. "The cigarette seller, who lives in a" green "area, has trouble understanding the decision of her employer DMF (sales services), who did not favor partial unemployment while the tobacco shops remained open during confinement.

"Limited" workforce reductions

In France, quarantine measures to curb the spread of the new coronavirus epidemic have led to a drop in activity, but companies have, for the most part, held their ground. The workforce reductions remain "limited", estimates a survey of the Ministry of Labor dated May 2020.

According to the ministry's statistics office (Dares), these workforce reductions were mainly reflected in the non-renewal of fixed-term contracts (59% in April and 49% in March) and the cancellation or postponement of hirings (44 % and 51%). The dismissal remains marginal although in slight progression (5%, after 2% at the end of March) and the rare conventional ruptures (5% after 4%).

Although infrequent, these staff reductions are nonetheless brutal in the very particular context of confinement. Nathalie's manager at DMF, Etienne, also dismissed, speaks of "incredible violence", especially "when you have just entered a period of anxiety", specifies the manager of the Brittany and South-West region.

The company DMF thanked a total of fifty employees on fixed-term contracts, citing a "force majeure". Is this an admissible argument in labor law? Etienne, whose CDD ran until June 30, doubts. "The epidemic was already known when I was hired at the end of February", assures the salesman who, with other employees, seized the industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal.

"The freezer is still full but not for long"

Angry at "the disproportionate containment measures that have brought the country to the ground", Nathalie believes that the government has protected businesses by offering partial unemployment, but regrets that "some have not played the game".

Pending the decision of the industrial tribunal, some of his former sales colleagues do not receive any unemployment benefit. "They haven't worked long enough," says Etienne.

At 56, Nathalie, who will be out of unemployment benefit rights at the end of June, describes herself in "a dramatic situation". "I'm in a gear. I'm not going to die from the Covid, but I may die otherwise," she comments with a hint of despair. The freezer is still full, but not for long. "

"Priority to someone younger"

The precariousness awaits the commercial installed in the Lot-et-Garonne, especially since the road leading to a new job seems to him strewn with pitfalls. Job offers are more rare in times of crisis and their age could put off a potential employer: "We will give priority to someone younger, who will not have to exercise their right of withdrawal in the event of second wave of the Covid. "

For Lola, 26, who lives with her parents-in-law with her husband - who is partially unemployed - the situation is less worrying, but she puts a stop to her plan to move with her little family. The prospect of finding a job looks also difficult. In two weeks, only two job offers were published in its high-end sales sector. She has no response at this time.

On May 23, the government announced aid to the poorest households, those who are beneficiaries of the RSA (active solidarity income) or SSA (specific solidarity allowance).

#CORONAVIRUS # COVID19 | Faced with the crisis, the State is mobilizing to support our fellow citizens in a precarious situation. Since May 15, 2020, exceptional solidarity aid has been paid to more than 4 million households. pic.twitter.com/1orZtv5ZtF

Nathalie and Lola are not part of it. "There is nothing for us, the intermediate people," laments the energetic 50-something. "However the fall is harder because you break your mouth from above," comments the one who still has to pay for repairs to her car. "We need emergency measures."

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app