The temporary CDI, a contract still too little known

A decryption by Lilian Thomas, Director of the Industry and Building Zone within the LIP Group and responsible for managing this project within the LIP Group.

What is the temporary CDI?

Launched by the State in 2015 to give temp agencies the possibility of directly hiring their temporary employees, it is a contract managed directly by temporary employment companies. It allows them to delegate the employee to a company to carry out a mission of limited duration. If at the end of this period, the temporary employee is not redelegated to another company, he is paid directly by the temporary work agency. One of the main advantages of this contract is the protection of the temporary employee during so-called inter-mission periods by guaranteeing him a minimum remuneration.

The contract must present three compulsory points: the minimum wage (this will be the remuneration of the employee in inter-contract and not necessarily his remuneration during a mission, the latter will be fixed as and when the mission letters with the companies for which he will work), the concept of distance by kilometer (the goal being of course to offer assignments that match the distance between home and work), and the qualifications listed on the contract (which correspond to the skills of the employee and which will allow him to obtain his future delegations in the company).

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The temporary CDI offers job security for temporary workers, in addition to the possibility of varying their professional experience. Remuneration is guaranteed, even in the absence of a mission, as is the acquisition of rights to paid leave and social security coverage. Finally, it acts like a classic CDI for all the great moments in life: looking for accommodation, applying for a bank loan... which is unfortunately not always the case for a classic temporary contract.

Lilian Thomas sees another advantage in this: that of job protection. Indeed here, the employment agency can delegate the employee to different companies in the event of a drop in activity in the one where he was working, whereas with a classic permanent contract and faced with a similar situation, some employees will be confronted with a dismissal.

In addition, it is also a brand image for some of our temporary workers because they are considered permanent with us, adds Lilian Thomas.

Why use this contract when you are a temporary employment company?

On the side of temporary work companies, this contract allows us to ensure that by directly hiring our temporary workers, we can also support them in a more intelligent way in their professional career.

Our raison d'être is to be able to find staff with a given skill at a given time when the company needs it in order to compensate for a temporary absence or increase in activity. It is therefore up to us, employment agencies, to give our employees the ability to be “employable” for as long as possible (by offering them, for example, training to continue to improve their skills).

Who can claim this type of contract?

The temporary CDI obeys the same rules as a classic CDI: it is open to everyone, without distinction of qualification and all temporary work companies can set it up. In France, many companies need additional resources to carry out construction sites, production, accounting exercises, etc. In fact, all types of companies are called upon to take on temporary staff, which is why we want to continue to develop them within our group because we strongly believe in their added value.

However, I understand that some structures are cautious because it is synonymous with real commitment and also presents a significant financial risk! If one or more employees do not work for a long enough period, this can quickly generate cash flow problems. This is a risk that must be taken into account, but the objective of a temp agency is to find work for its temporary workers. The people who come to see us count on us, they come with desires, hope and we have no right not to respond to them.

In my opinion, the temporary CDI is the culmination of a professional relationship in the sense that we take full measure of our role as an employment agency; we are no longer "just labor providers for a given moment", we are committed to our temporary workers and I tend to say that we have in fact two essential customers: the company which pays us, of course, but also the man or woman who goes to work for us on Mondays.

Tribune by Lilian Thomas, Director of the Industry and Building Zone of the LIP Group (LinkedIn).