Secours catholique and other associations warn, in a report published Monday, of the “excesses” of the RSA reform, which requires the completion of fifteen hours of weekly activity, and call for the “suspension” of this system, including generalization is planned for 2025.
This reform, born from the “full employment” law and currently being tested in 47 departments, “concerns too many people, among the poorest”, underlines for Secours catholique Sophie Rigard, calling for “taking the time” to observe the potential effects of the “abuses” denounced in this study conducted with Aequitaz and ATD Fourth World.
The 2023 law provides for the establishment of “engagement contracts” for beneficiaries of RSA (active solidarity income) with the obligation of fifteen hours of weekly activity, a number which may vary depending on individual situations, with the possibility sanctions, including suspension of benefits in the event of non-compliance.
The associations, supported in particular by the FSU union, Emmaüs, the Abbé Pierre Foundation and the Human Rights League, point to “the risk of sliding towards free work”, distancing recipients from their “integration project”.
1.82 million beneficiaries affected
They also underline the “effects of competition with public and private jobs, which would prove counterproductive in terms of job creation” and could “pull the labor market downward in terms of working conditions and remuneration”.
In total, 1.82 million beneficiaries (3.65 million people with their families) are affected.
The monthly amount of RSA, paid by the family allowance funds (CAF), is 607.75 euros for a single person and 911.63 euros for a couple without children.
The associations also deplore that the “reinforced support” put in place undermines the “autonomy” of beneficiaries, in particular through the use of algorithms to guide them, the “worsening” of deletions from the lists of beneficiaries. and “contrasting realities” of returning to work.
They explain that their report is intended to be a non-exhaustive “first assessment”, fueled by “feedback” from beneficiaries, integration professionals, data from France Travail and journalistic surveys, while an evaluation commissioned by the Ministry of Labor is expected before the end of the year, before the generalization planned for January 1st.