Paris (AFP)

Without agreement with the unions before an imminent reshuffle, the government decided Thursday to extend the "Health Ségur", while an envelope of seven billion euros is now on the table for the salaries of caregivers.

A chaotic final stretch for a toughening arm wrestling: after 24 hours of marathon negotiations, the Ministry of Health has decided to postpone for a few days the closing meeting of "Ségur", originally scheduled for Friday.

The objective is to "be able to continue the exchanges," a spokesperson for the ministry told AFP, adding that this "slight delay" - decided in the light of a likely government reshuffle - did not postpone not question the initial executive schedule.

"We want to respect the commitment that was made" at the launch of "Ségur de la santé", with the announcement of a package of measures for the hospital and carers "before mid-July," said this spokesperson.

Emmanuel Macron, who had promised during the coronavirus epidemic a "massive plan", clarified the magnitude Thursday evening in an interview with the regional daily press: "We will release a total of between 15 and 20 billion euros".

Enough to invest "in buildings, equipment and digital", but also increase "by several hundred euros wages for sure", he added.

Discussions on this subject, conducted since May 25 under the aegis of the ex-head of the CFDT Nicole Notat, have accelerated in recent hours, with the announcement of new envelopes for the remuneration of hospital staff.

During a meeting organized with the unions of the hospital public service, the Minister Olivier Véran indeed proposed an extension of 400 million euros for the salaries of paramedical staff (nurses, nursing assistants) and non-medical.

This sum, which comes on top of the six billion euros already announced by the government at a meeting of the "Ségur" organized on June 24, brings to 6.4 billion the envelope provided for these categories of employees.

A second envelope of 100 million euros has been proposed to hospital doctors - which are the subject of separate discussions. What bring to 600 million the amount promised for doctors, interns and medical students.

- "Not up to par" -

Olivier Véran deemed Thursday "considerable" the financial effort made by the government. "This is 40 times more than the annual revalorizations of wages in hospital operated by the previous government," he said.

"Of course, we come from far away," admitted the Minister of Health. But "this is why this effort is colossal: it is the biggest effort ever made for the health sector," he continued.

An enthusiasm that unions say they do not share. "The various government proposals are mostly unacceptable and do not meet the legitimate expectations of agents and employees," said the CGT.

"Despite the announcement of an additional envelope of 400 million euros, the claim of 300 euros for all is clearly not possible in the state," said FO for his part.

The secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, also pleaded for a larger envelope: "If we want a real policy of salary increases, to make up for all the backlog accumulated over the years, we need 8 billion".

What allow, according to him, wage increases from 200 to 250 euros for all employees. "This is what they heard as a promise," said Berger.

The government, which has planned at this stage to distribute its envelope between general revalorization of wages, targeted increases in certain professions and incentive measures, is it prepared to make an additional effort?

If he wishes to reconcile with the hospital, "an effort is essential", underlines a union source, for whom "room for maneuver exists" for an extension of the budget, but comes up against "the hostility of Matignon".

At this stage, "none of the employee organizations" present at the negotiations is prepared to "sign" the proposals of the ministry, ensures this source. But the situation could change if "a base" of revaluation "to 250 euros net" was activated, she adds.

"The political period that we are currently going through, with the wavering concerning a cabinet reshuffle, complicates the situation", but "the ball" is nevertheless "again in the court of the executive", summarizes FO.

© 2020 AFP