Eliminate a second public holiday to achieve around 3 billion euros in savings. This is the measure that is rising among parliamentarians, while the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) is still in first reading in the National Assembly until this Tuesday. « I think that everything that allows our country to show that we can work harder to participate in the recovery effort is going in the right direction. », Said Laurent Saint-Martin, the Minister of the Budget last week. The latest to speak on the subject: the Minister of the Economy, Antoine Armand, confirmed that it was “ one track among others » and says he is open to debate in an interview with Echos published this weekend.
Options to make the French work more
A first day called “ solidarity » was put in place in 2004 in order to finance actions in favor of the autonomy of elderly or disabled people. It consists of a day of unpaid work – often on Pentecost Monday – or the elimination of a day of RTT. And while the financial situation of nursing homes is worsening, with around 80% of them in deficit at the end of 2024, Senator Chantal Deseyne believes that a second day of solidarity is the measure “most relevant” in order to supplement the social security accounts, but also “the most united”as all employees, except minors, are concerned.
Inequalities between employees
But this seemingly egalitarian initiative could in reality widen the gaps a little further. “This will fall mainly on the middle and working classes”anticipates environmentalist senator Anne Souyris. Same story with the CGT which denounces several inequalities.
First, between employees, because the latter can be “offered” the day of solidarity by their employers, often by large companies that can cover the cost. The latter represents 0.3% of the payroll paid to the State that day against a day of non-productivity for the company. Another inequality, this contribution is the same for everyone, regardless of income. However, a day of unpaid work does not have the same impact on a short mission for temporary workers as it does for the wealthy classes, says the CGT. This working day also requires an additional day of care for the children, the school remaining closed, but also an expense for transport.
Social Security budget: deputies remove the reform of employer contributions
Mitigating the increase in contributions
In order to allay the concerns of unions, Laurent Saint-Martin advocated flexibility in the choice of public holiday worked and the organization of companies.
An argument which cannot hide the fact that this measure would mainly serve to avoid applying another one. Antoine Armand, in fact, said he wanted « mitigate » the planned increase in contributions on low salaries planned in the 2025 budget. A proposal which was to bring in 5 billion euros per year for the State, but which worries employers like Medef which fears the destruction of “hundreds of thousands” of jobs due to lack of competitiveness of French companies if the charges increase on them. “We are putting the savings on employees when there is no reason why only the latter should pay”storm Anne Souyris.
Other avenues targeting employees have come up in the debates, such as the alignment of days not compensated by Social Security during sick leave between the private sector and the public sector.
The environmentalist senator wanted an increase in the generalized social contribution (CSG), a tax which finances part of social security and distributed according to salary, or even a tax on donations. “ We need to make a wider plateshe says, because a new solidarity day is not sufficient in terms of revenue anyway ».
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