Working 7 hours “for free” per year: what is this measure that the government wants to put back on the table?

The censorship had got the better of her. Two months later, Catherine Vautrin decided to bring it up to date. In an interview with JDD on Sunday, the Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity once again raised the idea of ​​making French people work seven hours a year without being paid, in order to finance Social Security. “This is an avenue that is on the table,” confirmed the Minister Delegate in charge of public accounts Amélie de Montchalin on France 3. We are taking stock of this proposal, already mentioned last November and criticized by the left.

Where does this proposal come from?

This idea comes from an amendment to the draft Social Security budget for 2025, presented last November by the Senate Social Affairs Committee. The measure, comparable to the solidarity day already practiced, was called “contribution of solidarity through work”.

It was finally removed from the draft Social Security budget by Michel Barnier, before his government’s censorship.

What does it consist of?

“The senators, in the Social Security financing bill that they voted for, propose to work seven hours more during the year, or ten minutes more each week,” recalls Catherine Vautrin in the JDD.

“In exchange for the benefit of these unpaid working hours”, employers would see the rate of the current solidarity contribution for autonomy “go from 0.3% to 0.6%”, explained the commission of Social Affairs last November. A contribution from assets which would “generate two billion euros in revenue”, according to the Minister of Labor. The latter could thus be “directed towards social spending. »

How could it be applied for workers?

“Depending on the companies, depending on the branches, this can translate into one day” or even spread over the year, specified last November Philippe Mouiller, president of the Senate Social Affairs Committee. “The idea is really that there is a debate with the social partners on the application of the principle,” he clarified.

How was the proposal received?

Several left-wing political figures spoke out against this proposal, with François Ruffin for example describing it as “scandalous”. The measure had raised eyebrows, including within the government camp.

Michel Barnier himself said he was “very reserved about this idea”. In addition to finding it “complex to implement”, the former Prime Minister even expressed doubts about its benefits for the Social Security deficit. “I’m not sure it reports what some people claim,” he slipped.

And now ?

“It’s an avenue that is on the table, but it’s up to parliamentarians to see if they want to move forward together on this subject,” said Amélie de Montchalin on the set of France 3 on Sunday noon. “The government will respect the upcoming parliamentary debate on the subject,” assured Catherine Vautrin in her interview with the weekly newspaper. Discussions on this measure risk returning to the hemicycle.