Paris (AFP)

The secretary general of the CFDT, Laurent Berger, denounced Wednesday a "betrayal of public speech", judging the decree on the recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease "extremely restrictive".

"The decree released yesterday (Tuesday) makes us very angry (...), it only recognizes the impacts on the respiratory system and not the other consequences" of the disease for caregivers, criticized the leader of the first French union to RTL's antenna.

In the event of a Covid-19 infection, recognition will be automatic for caregivers, hospital and city workers, and for those working with vulnerable people, at home or in nursing homes, but on one condition: they must have contracted a severe form of the disease, in other words needing oxygen therapy.

A definition decried by several associations and unions.

This recognition allows 100% coverage of medical costs but also to receive compensation in the event of temporary or permanent disability.

In the event of death, the beneficiaries may also receive an annuity.

"I believe that there is a betrayal of public speaking, which has been said by the ministers on the subject", declared Laurent Berger.

The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, had indeed promised in April "automatic recognition" for caregivers, "whoever they are" and "whatever their place of practice".

"And for workers other than caregivers, they will have to demonstrate that they have caught the disease in the workplace," said Berger.

"We are far from the extremely beautiful words that were said during the confinement to glorify these workers," he lamented.

Castigating "a scandalous decree", the CGT believes for its part that "the government must review its copy" so that all caregivers who "contracted the disease at work or while going to work" benefit "automatically from fair compensation".

The decree sets up "a discriminatory device", denounces the CGT in a press release.

It "leaves on the sidelines a good number of employees who have developed other alterations (loss of smell, taste, mental disorder, etc.)" and the employees "will have to face a real obstacle course to try to have their rights recognized before a commission of experts ".

Tuesday, Force Ouvrière had already asked the government "to review its copy" because the measure "will be limited to a very small number of workers in view of the restrictive conditions imposed".

The FO-Health federation, for its part, denounced an "outrageous" decree, a source of "flagrant inequity between the categories of sick agents", and called for "the reopening of real negotiations" on the subject.

The association of asbestos victims (Andeva) for its part predicted "an outbreak of litigation", judging the text "restrictive, unfair and legally contestable".

An action for annulment has also been filed with the Council of State by the Coronavictimes association and the Jussieu anti-asbestos committee, which intend to support possible "claims for compensation before the administrative courts on the basis of the fault. of State".

© 2020 AFP