At the National Assembly, the examination of the Social Security budget begins this Monday before the Social Affairs Committee. And there you also have to save money. And for this, the general rapporteur proposes a “public order” waiting day for all work stoppages. The objective is to make employees responsible and avoid penalizing employers.
The examination of the Social Security budget begins this Monday in the Social Affairs Committee of the Assembly. While its deficit reached 18.5 billion euros this year, the government called on parliamentarians for “responsibility”.
So to save money, Yannick Neuder, the general rapporteur for the Social Security budget, targeted sick leave, proposing a “public order” waiting day. Currently, in the private sector, there are 3 waiting days and only one for the public, but the majority of large companies cover these three days.
A way of “empowering” employees who should therefore finance the first non-working day themselves. The measure would be accompanied by a “self-declaration” from employees for short periods of absence, which would free up doctors’ time.
Victor’s company covers his waiting days if he were to lose a day of salary in the event of sick leave.
“That wouldn’t be too understandable. I am a team leader in public works. These are jobs that are relatively physical. Every day, we put our bodies to the test and therefore inevitably the disease cannot be decided,” he laments.
But some employees understand the spirit of the measure. “Me frankly, I prefer that, that everyone is housed in the same boat rather than a box which has the three days of waiting time, others which do not have it”, estimates one man.
Sick leave on the rise
A good idea also for Jean-Eudes Du Mesnil, secretary general of the confederation of small and medium-sized enterprises. “We must at all costs limit the very sharp increase in sick leave. Between 2022 and 2023 there was an increase of more than 8% and among employees under 30, it is even more than a 50% increase,” he denounces.
In return, LR MP Yannick Neuder suggests that employees do not go to the doctor in the event of a short stop.
“This is a measure that would free up medical time by avoiding these consultations. But in return, this flexibility is your responsibility,” he observes.
The elected official has not calculated what the measure could bring in, but suggests testing it for a year before taking stock.
Martin Cadoret with Guillaume Descours
