Unemployment insurance and employment of seniors: agreements between employers and unions

Three agreements at once: employers and several unions managed to agree on Thursday evening, November 14, on new rules on unemployment insurance and the employment of seniors, with the added bonus of an agreement on union pathways .

“We managed, after a flash negotiation, to reach a conclusion this evening”greeted the Medef representative Hubert Mongon at the end of the discussions, noting a “majority of favorable opinions” on agreements, “with nuances”.

However, there is a downside on the employers’ side: if Eric Chevée (CPME) judged that the agreement on unemployment insurance“no problem”he was much more critical of the one on seniors that he judged “not balanced”.

The U2P, the third employers’ organization which brings together artisans and traders, has issued a “positive review” on the three agreements, its negotiator Jean-Christophe Repon told AFP.

In addition to the rules for compensation for the unemployed which must apply from January 1 and measures to promote the employment of seniors, the social partners have agreed on a third agreement on social dialogue.

First to speak, the CFDT delegation “gives a favorable opinion on the three texts”indicated negotiator Olivier Guivarch, his CFTC counterpart Frédéric Belouze also making it known that his delegation “will defend these three agreements favorably before its authorities”.

« Ça tape dur »

The CGT was clearly more reluctant, with negotiator Sandrine Mourey deploring that on unemployment insurance, “it hits hard”and pointing to the employment of seniors “small but no big gains” for employees.

The CFE-CGC, which had already indicated that it would not sign the agreement on unemployment insurance, indicated via its negotiator Jean-François Foucard that it was in favor of the two other texts. FO still reserves its assessment of the three texts.

The unions must still formally consult their bodies.

The unemployment insurance text, planned for four years, is an amendment to the November 2023 agreement – ​​signed by the CFDT, FO and the CFTC, but not validated by the government. In particular, to save money, it plans to reduce compensation for unemployed cross-border workers who have worked in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany or Luxembourg.

Their rights are today calculated on the basis of their salaries in these countries, which are significantly higher than in France.

An increase of two years in the age limits giving entitlement to longer compensation, to take into account the pension reform that the unions are contesting, is also planned.

The level giving entitlement to a maximum of 22.5 months of compensation thus increases from 53 to 55 years and that giving entitlement to 27 months from 55 to 57 years. The measure should bring in 350 million over four years.

In order to get closer to the 400 million euros in additional savings requested from the social partners from 2025 by the Minister of Labor Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, the employers accepted that the reduction from 4.05% to 4% of the employer contribution to unemployment insurance only kicks in on May 1, 2025.

Overall, the new rules would make it possible to generate some 2.3 billion savings over four years for the unemployment insurance system, according to a calculation by Unédic.

“Dishabituation”

Unions and employers were keen to agree to prevent the government from taking control again, as the Attal government had done in the spring after the failure of negotiations on seniors, publishing a decree whose unions had unanimously denounced. « violence ».

The discussions on unemployment insurance ended at midday, but the negotiators were waiting for those on the employment of seniors, held afterwards, to deliver their verdict.

The employers let go in the evening, on a « point dur » unions. He immediately renounced a progressive exemption from unemployment insurance contributions for the employer who recruits an employee in “experience enhancement contract”a measure supported by the CPME.

This new specific contract, to facilitate the hiring of older unemployed people, nevertheless remains. The employee may be automatically retired as soon as he is entitled to a full pension.

“It’s hard to break the habit” on exemptions from contributions, quipped Denis Gravouil (CGT).

The text also intends to promote progressive retirements, which are not very widespread.

Accessible from the age of 60 and allowing the employee to work part-time while continuing to contribute at full rate for their retirement, the system does not however become a right to which the employer could no longer oppose, as the the unions would have wanted.

Finally, the third chord, “fell a little from the sky”says a negotiator, aims to open negotiations on union paths and ask the government to legislate to allow staff representatives to serve more than three mandates.