Unemployment insurance: return to previous rules not retroactive - France 24

Paris (AFP)

The return to the rules of unemployment insurance before November 1 will not be total and will not apply to people who lost their job before August 1, according to the draft decree sent to the unions, who see it as a " snag "to announcements from the executive.

The text implements the suspension until January 1 of the unemployment insurance reform, including the first part in force since November 1 on the tightening of the opening of rights. This postponement was announced Friday by Jean Castex to the unions, to their great satisfaction.

Since November 1, you had to have worked at least six months out of the last 24 to open rights, instead of four months out of the last 28.

But this return to the previous rules will only apply to "workers deprived of employment whose employment contract ends between August 1 and December 31, 2020", according to the draft decree revealed by the AEF agency.

It will therefore not concern people who lost their job between November and August, which would have forced Pôle Emploi to recalculate their rights.

In addition, the return every four months will be calculated over the last 24 months and not 28.

Finally, the threshold allowing a reloading of rights, when working during his period of unemployment, will remain aligned with the conditions of affiliation and will therefore be four months (instead of six) when it was only one months before November 1st.

"The decree does not correspond to the announcements on the return to the previous rules. We can only be surprised, it's a small hitch," reacted Eric Courpotin (CFTC) to AFP. "This raises the question of the Prime Minister's word", added Michel Beaugas (FO).

At the Ministry of Labor, it is explained "to have taken the decision which is as close as possible to the previous rules and which is technically feasible by Pôle Emploi to be operational as quickly as possible for job seekers".

With the suspension of the reform, "we have acceded to a strong demand from the unions", it is recalled.

The draft decree also enacts the postponement of the degressivity after six months for high incomes and the modification of the calculation of compensation.

This, which was to take place on September 1 and would have penalized those who alternate short contracts and unemployment, could be reviewed during a consultation at the start of the school year.

© 2020 AFP