The Senate adopts a measure aimed at making workers work seven hours more per year, without pay, to finance autonomy policies

Workers will work seven hours more per year, without being paid in exchange, the Senate decided on Wednesday, November 20. The measure, approved by 216 votes to 119, is supposed to bring 2.5 billion euros each year to the autonomy sector.

After intense debates within the framework of the Social Security budget for 2025, the senators added this “contribution of solidarity through work” to the “day of solidarity” already practiced and supposed to finance old age and disability.

The measure is not final at this stage: it will be debated next week during a joint committee bringing together deputies and senators, responsible for finding a compromise on this text promised in article 49.3 of the Constitution during its final passage to the National Assembly.

But the Senate, where the right and the center are in the majority, a valuable support of Michel Barnier's government, wanted to leave its mark on the budgetary debates, while the government is seeking 60 billion euros to make up the deficit.

Michel Barnier “very reserved” on the system

The Minister of Public Accounts, Laurent Saint-Martin, considered that the reform should not be implemented in this way through an amendment. But “that this can be reworked with the social partners, I think that could be a good idea”because it would be “hypocritical to reject this debate out of hand”he added.

If the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, showed himself “very reserved” faced with the proposal, the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, judged it “interesting”.

“We are not making this proposal lightly”more “Today we need to find ways” pour “finance the old age wall, the residential shift and the transformation of our nursing homes [établissement d’hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes] »insisted the centrist senator from Mayenne Elisabeth Doineau.

The Senate text echoes the debate on the elimination of a public holiday – a long-standing senatorial proposal – but proposes a more ” flexible “which leaves the hand to the social partners to decline the terms of implementation (one day per year, “ten minutes a week”, “two minutes a day”…).

In return for this measure, employers would see their solidarity contribution rate for autonomy increase from 0.3% to 0.6%.

Apprentices put to work

The left denounced “a hell of an attack on the working world” according to the communist senator from Pas-de-Calais Cathy Apourceau-Poly, who responded with a touch of sarcasm by proposing a “dividend solidarity day” to make shareholders contribute. In vain.

At the heart of the examination of the “Secu” budget, the Senate also gave its approval to a government measure targeting apprentices: the latter will now be partially subject to two social contributions – generalized social contribution (CSG), and social contribution for the repayment of the social debt (CRDS) –, for an estimated gain of 360 million euros per year. The senators, on the other hand, limited the system to contracts signed from 1^is January 2025.