Paris (AFP)

The right-wing Senate on Tuesday adopted, with modifications, a presidential majority bill aimed at increasing the "zero long-term unemployed" experiment from 10 to 60 territories.

The text was voted on at first reading by show of hands, with the votes of the LR, centrist, RDPI (ex LREM), RDSE with a radical majority and Independent groups.

It had been adopted unanimously in the National Assembly.

Although supporting the experiment, the left voted against it.

The PS regretted not having obtained "all the desired guarantees", while the Communist-majority CRCE and environmentalists deplored a bill "far removed from the original spirit" of the experiment.

Deputies and Senators will now try to agree on a common text, failing which a new reading will be organized in each of the chambers, the last word going to the Assembly.

The Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne defended "a text necessary in this period of uncertainty and heightened difficulties for the most precarious", wishing to see it "succeed as soon as possible".

The idea of ​​the "TZCLD" is to mobilize the sums intended for unemployment compensation to finance employment-oriented companies (EBE) which recruit long-term unemployed on permanent contracts, paid at minimum wage for socially useful activities and not competing with existing jobs.

The proposed law aims to extend to 50 new territories, for 5 years, an experiment launched in early 2017 and carried out today in ten "territories" of 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants.

They host 13 EBEs employing more than 800 employees in market gardening, logging, metal recycling or bicycle repair.

The Senate did not touch either the duration or the field of experimentation, despite the mobilization of elected PS who wanted to go beyond the 50 new territories.

"No ready territory should be left aside," said Elisabeth Borne, affirming her desire to reach by the CMP "a drafting offering as much flexibility as possible".

The senators, on the other hand, opposed compulsory financing by the departments, provided for by the bill.

This change, criticized on the left, is the main sticking point with the government.

"No experimental project will be carried out against the will of the departments, but the mobilization of a department must logically translate into its contribution to the financing of the experiment", affirmed Mrs. Borne.

The State contributes largely to the financing of the experiment, to the tune of 18,000 euros per year, per job, while the share of the departments is of the order of 1,500 euros.

The bill also includes other measures to simplify integration through economic activity (IAE), such as the abolition of compulsory approval from the Pôle Emploi.

It creates a "CDI inclusion" for people over 57 in difficulty, or sets up the experimentation of a "bridge contract", in order to facilitate the recruitment in traditional companies of people at the end of the integration process. .

The senators have also created, with the support of the government, a "cumulative time" device, aimed at allowing the combination of an integration contract with another part-time employment contract.

The left opposed it, fearing "a drift".

Finally, the Senate adopted a last-minute government amendment aimed at allowing, on an experimental basis, the establishment of a social dialogue body specific to Structures for integration through economic activity and employees in integration.

© 2020 AFP