Coronavirus in France: tourism professionals, forgotten by the crisis

Text by: Ariane Gaffuri Follow

In France, tourism and event and culture professionals, whose activities stopped suddenly due to the coronavirus, mobilized this Monday, June 22 in several cities of France to alert about the precariousness of their conditions of work and seek state support.

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The "  almost invisible  ". This is how the intermittent "off-show" or self-employed in tourism, events and culture qualify. "  Almost invisible  " and in great economic difficulty, since the cessation of their activities on March 15, because of the coronavirus.

Guide-lecturers, logistics or production project managers, hostesses, stage managers, coordinators and event leaders, catering “extras”, these precarious workers, who are not part of the show's intermittent workers, came out of the shadows on Monday . They mobilized in twelve cities (Paris, Versailles, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes, Rennes, Carcassonne, Avignon, Mont Saint-Michel, Nice, Cannes, Marseille), at the call of FMITEC, the Federation of intermittent tourism professionals culture events. Created in March in full confinement, the association warns of the collapse of the activities of more than 10,000 professionals with gloomy prospects for tourism.

1.3 billion euros in monthly losses

According to the Directorate-General for Enterprise, the monthly operating loss in the sector is estimated at 1.3 billion euros, despite government aid measures. International flights to France have fallen on average by 80%, while the country is usually the most visited in the world, with more than 89 million tourists per year (2018 figures). Tourism is suffering worldwide. Globally, it lost $ 80 billion in the first quarter and risks future losses of more than $ 1 trillion, according to UNWTO, the world tourism organization. Planes nailed to the ground, deserted hotels, restaurants, but also museums, closed tourist sites. No one was spared.

“  In March, with the Covid-19 crisis, we suddenly had a 100% loss of activity, with no work visibility for the future, at least until spring 2021, by being optimistic. Overnight, the calendars were completely emptied, with cascading cancellations. This revealed the fragility and lack of protection of our statutes,  ”warns Barbara Fronda, spokesperson for FMITEC. “  Before, if we had a cancellation, we bounced on another event. There, everything stopped and still is. We are plunged into an alarming precariousness. We only have micro contracts, short contracts. Someone who is in the hotel or restaurant industry can switch to a CDI, a fixed-term contract, we can't.  "

“ Almost invisible ” tour guides

A situation experienced by many tour guides. "  50% of the 6,000 guide-lecturers work on short-term contracts, on fixed-term contracts, fixed-term contracts, or CDDUs, fixed-term contracts of use,  " emphasizes Camille Perrière, founding member of SPGIC, the professional union of guide-interpreter-lecturers , present at the rally organized by the FMITEC, place du Trocadéro in Paris. "  The tour guides must be entitled to partial unemployment, but some of their employers refuse them,  " she deplores.

Launched by the State at the height of the pandemic to avoid massive layoffs, short-time working allows private companies which have stopped or reduced their activities, to pay their employees 80% of their remuneration or 100% for those who affect the minimum wage, or 1,539.42 euros gross per month. Remuneration reimbursed by the State. A total of 7.8 million employees still benefited from this device in May, according to the Ministry of Labor. This system is however expected to evolve from July 1.

White year

Without technical partial unemployment, these professionals are hard pressed. Some still receive unemployment benefits that are coming to an end. Others benefit from the RSA, the active solidarity income, ie some 550 euros per month for a single person. The new regulations on unemployment insurance applicable on September 1, worry. “  With the new unemployment law, you must have worked 910 hours to benefit from a renewal of rights. However, it was not possible to work. And it won't be until, perhaps, May 2021,  ”explains Camille Perrière. “  There are tourists in France, but that will not be enough because 80% of the guides work in a foreign language, there will not be many foreigners coming. When we talk to the guides, they tell you: "I have nothing left" or "I will not have anything in two or three months". I even heard a person say that he went to his parents' house because he could not pay his rent. This is why we demonstrate to press for a white year.  "

"  I'm angry,  " says Cécile, a 41-year-old tour guide who mobilized in Paris. For the moment, she is receiving unemployment benefits, but is coming to the end of her rights. Her main agency, which she prefers not to name, refused her partial unemployment: “  I understand the lack of cash. Of course it is not easy to pay all salaries, but the state is giving millions of euros to help businesses and businesses do not play the game. This is not normal. I have colleagues who are at RSA and are 50 years old, go look for work there in the middle of an economic recession ! There are a lot of people like us, all people from events, from culture, all those who are intermittent de facto since we all work discontinuously all the time.  "

Request for the repeal of the unemployment insurance reform

Employees in the sector are currently negotiating with these recalcitrant agencies. This is why they play discretion. The action of the FMITEC was "  symbolic, intended to show that we exist, that these trades are important for the economy of a city  ", defends Barbara Fronda. “  Each time there is a congress for example, which can gather from 50 people to 100,000 people, we generate a movement, people come and buy. We have to help us  . ”

►Also read: Covid-19: the health crisis is redrawing the map of European holidays

The Federation, like other organizations defending the professions of tourism, events and culture, requests the repeal of the unemployment insurance reform applicable on September 1 . She also pleads for the extension of the Pôle emploi rights until April 2021, as for the intermittent workers in the entertainment industry, and the extension of the solidarity fund to self-employed trades and its extension until April 2021.

Representatives of tourism professionals have not said their last word. New actions are planned for Tuesday (10 a.m. in front of the National Assembly, and 12 p.m. in front of the Musée d'Orsay), at the call of other organizations, the CPHRE, Collective of the precarious of the hotel industry - catering and events and of LPPM, Let's fight not to die, among others.

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