December 17: Construction workers' anger reaches a new level

The countdown has begun. Between a 2026 budget whose vote remains uncertain, essential MaPrimeRénov' measures that will no longer be eligible from January 1st, the overhaul of the REP PMCB whose decisions expected in the coming days do not correspond to the needs of small building trades companies, and the micro-enterprise scheme that no one dares to regulate despite its profound repercussions, the incomprehension is total and anger is rising.

The CAPEB Network will mobilize massively on December 17 in all departments of France with the same message: building tradespeople deserve better.

On December 17, construction workers will make their voices heard.

In front of the prefectures, dozens of tradespeople will hang grievance cards on the gates, illustrating the concrete difficulties they encounter daily. Some will symbolically deposit wrapped construction waste to demonstrate the constraints imposed by a poorly designed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Representatives from the CAPEB (Confederation of Craftspeople and Small Businesses in the Building Sector) in the various departments will travel to the prefecture to meet with the prefects.

Elsewhere, actions aimed at the press will highlight testimonies illustrating observations from the field and will provide an opportunity to reiterate CAPEB's proposals for improving the criticized systems. The mobilization will be national, united, and determined, with the same message delivered in every department.

On the ground, the observation is the same for all tradespeople.

MaPrimeRénov' remains important for boosting the sector, but the system has become chaotic: constant changes are resulting in a decline in activity, payment delays are multiplying disputes and weakening businesses. From January 1st, wall insulation and biomass boilers will be excluded, a decision completely at odds with the effectiveness of energy renovation work and catastrophic for tradespeople. CAPEB calls for consistency and simplicity! It advocates for MaPrimeRénov' eligibility to be limited to work that is part of a relevant and effective plan, designed to lead to a comprehensive renovation within 4 or 5 years, a timeframe necessary for households in terms of financing and logistical planning.

The RGE qualification mechanism has shown its limitations. It is time to reform it to allow access to RGE for the greatest number of companies based on their skills and not on an overly complex and selective administrative process, without guaranteeing the quality of the work.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Construction Products and Materials (EPR for Construction Products and Materials) is another source of frustration for small construction businesses. While it was intended to simplify construction waste management and make collection free, the system now requires companies to pay an eco-contribution without receiving the expected service in return. Worse still, the proposed reforms risk significantly exacerbating the situation by reducing the already insufficient number of collection points and failing to alleviate management costs for businesses. CAPEB (Confederation of Craft and Small Construction Businesses) condemns this situation and demands a strengthened network of collection points, as well as harmonized rules and tools across the country.

The micro-enterprise system fosters precariousness for those who choose it and weakens the country's social safety net. In the construction sector, it is also a source of tax inequity that is increasingly difficult to accept in a deteriorating economic climate. CAPEB is calling for a VAT threshold of €25.000, a two-year limit on the micro-enterprise status to ensure it serves as a genuine stepping stone to a standard business, and support for micro-entrepreneurs to help them sustain their businesses and earn a decent living. The situation is truly urgent.

For Jean-Christophe Repon, president of CAPEB: “The Government must recognize the ineffectiveness of measures that penalize and hinder the activity of our businesses. For months we have been denouncing the inconsistencies and malfunctions of MaPrimeRénov' and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Tradespeople now want concrete solutions tailored to their needs. It would be unacceptable for building tradespeople to continue to bear the burden of unstable or unusable systems. On December 17th, we will be everywhere to remind everyone of this and to make ourselves heard!”

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.