Prime Minister Jean Castex leaving the Elysee Palace on February 24, 2021. -

Jacques Witt / SIPA

If health indicators are causing more and more concern, the government will bring together trade unions and employers' organizations on Monday for a social dialogue conference.

Objective: to try to project into the longer term with discussions on the gradual lifting of restrictions and measures to support the economy.

The Prime Minister, Jean Castex, accompanied by the Minister of the Economy Bruno, Le Maire, will discuss from 3.30 p.m. with the trade unions and employers by videoconference.

Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne, who announced on Sunday that she had tested positive for Covid-19, will follow the conference remotely.

Finding "the right dosage"

The government wants to work out with the social partners a "method for both working on scenarios for lifting health restrictions" and "finding the right schedule, the right mix" to "work on the gradual disconnection of aid".

The moment may seem paradoxical, as the extremely tense health situation in Île-de-France is making the headlines, forcing non-emergency operations to be deprogrammed and patients to be transferred.

But for the head of the CFDT Laurent Berger, it is important to "anticipate" and avoid a "sudden" stop of aid to households and businesses.

"Our fellow citizens also need to hear a positive speech and the positive speech, it is to begin to say how we come out of this crisis, how we support the rebound", adds the president of the CFTC Cyril Chabanier.

"We have to anticipate, but be careful that we do not turn off the public aid taps too quickly", warns Yves Veyrier (FO), however.

Elisabeth Borne has already announced the holding of "sectoral consultations" to prepare for the easing of health restrictions and support measures.

Second line bonus?

Concretely, the government should make known on Monday its arbitration on the duration and the conditions of the extension beyond the end of March of the exceptional aid for the hiring of young people and the recruitment of work-study students which made it possible to avoid a collapse of the labor market. youth employment.

According to the ministry, nearly 1.3 million under 26 were hired on CDI or CDD for more than three months between August and January, with 340,000 premium requests (1,000 euros per quarter of contract for a maximum of one year) .

On the work-study side, there were 495,000 requests for help (5,000 euros for a minor, 8,000 for a major).

The social partners should also question the government on the reduction of the support of the partial activity, for the moment postponed from month to month.

Another item on the agenda: the question of “second line” workers, these workers particularly exposed to the pandemic, particularly in retail trade, cleaning, construction, road transport, essential for economic continuity. and whose wages and working conditions are mostly unenviable.

The Minister of Labor has launched a mission on the subject, including the drafting of a detailed report supposed to guide the discussions of the social partners in the 15 branches most concerned.

Some subjects put aside

But this should not be completed for several months and the government is considering a shorter term gesture.

The Prime Minister could ask the social partners to negotiate the conditions for payment of a premium exempt from social contributions.

"It would be a good decision", judged the general delegate LREM Stanislas Guérini.

Will the employers be convinced?

According to several unions, Medef was very hostile to the idea during a meeting Friday with the Ministry of Labor.

Laurent Berger invites the State to "put pressure on the branches".

"Businesses are helped quite massively, including in these sectors," he said.

The CGT continues to insist on the need for an "immediate increase in wages", and more particularly the minimum wage.

“The risk of a bonus is a substitution effect for lasting wage increases,” warns Yves Veyrier.

For this conference, the government set aside the annoying subjects: the reform of unemployment insurance, unanimously criticized by the social partners, was decided upstream.

And neither pension reform nor social deficits are on the agenda.

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  • Covid 19

  • Video

  • Coronavirus

  • Patronage

  • Union

  • Social dialogue

  • Jean Castex