Unemployment insurance: negotiations get tough, financing of France Travail contested

After a first meeting on the calendar, on September 12, the negotiators meet at the Unédic headquarters in Paris, to try to find an agreement by November 10.

France Travail will need additional resources to support nearly two million RSA beneficiaries for whom it will be responsible, in addition to the unemployed.

To the great dismay of the social partners, the executive wants to contribute 12% to 13% of its revenue to unemployment insurance (Unédic) by 2026, compared to 11% today, according to the letter. framework sent by the government to trade unions and employers' organizations on August 1.

The Medef contests "fundamentally the elements of the framework document which proposes co-financing of Unédic to France Travail", recalled at the beginning of September Hubert Mongon, the leader of the negotiators of the main employers' organization.

According to him, "we cannot accept that the State continues to blur the responsibilities and methods of financing the various employment policy measures."

Employers and unions will try to agree on "another trajectory a little different from that given to us by the government, in order to imagine solutions, improvements to the system, modifications, to ultimately lead to an agreement", declared CFDT negotiator Olivier Guivarch on Friday morning during a press conference.

“The trade union organizations say together that the framework letter regarding unemployment insurance is unacceptable, that they refuse to comply with it and that they want to be able to negotiate in complete autonomy,” said the general secretary of the CGT on Thursday. Sophie Binet.

“Once again, the +state dealers+ want to get their hands on the money” from the social partners, criticized FO number one Frédéric Souillot, while the unions also denounce the government's desire to take at least a billion euros in supplementary pension funds to increase the value of small pensions.

On unemployment insurance, the 2018 law requires social partners to negotiate within the framework defined by the government, recalls Renaissance MP Marc Ferracci.

“The social partners may not want to respect the framework document provided for by law. But in this case, the government will be justified in not endorsing the agreement which will have been signed,” he explained to the 'AFP.

New projections

Hubert Mongon expresses doubts about the amount of unemployment insurance surpluses planned by the government for the years to come, and which would allow Unédic to make greater contributions.

“We observe substantial gaps between the work carried out by Unédic this summer and the macro-economic elements proposed to us by the government,” indicated the employers’ negotiator.

To see things more clearly, Unédic is presenting new projections on its financial trajectory to negotiators on Friday.

The first meeting on September 12 made it possible to set a schedule of eight meetings.

In addition to a deadline set for these negotiations at November 15, the framework set by the government sets in stone the reforms already undertaken in recent years.

The government document therefore prohibits social partners from questioning the method of calculating compensation, which has been less favorable since 2019 for job seekers alternating between unemployment and short contracts.

There is also no question of returning to the modulation of compensation rules according to the economic situation: since February 1, 2023, the duration of compensation has been reduced by 25% and will only be extended in the event of significant deterioration. economic.

This measure, like the new method of calculating compensation, is defended by employers. The latter is opposed, on the other hand, to the "bonus malus", which modulates upwards or downwards the unemployment insurance contribution rate of companies in certain sectors (transport for example) which abuse precarious contracts.