Supported by the presidential majority and the right, this project gives private companies the possibility of buying RTT days from employees, if the employees so request. Defenders of the monetization of RTTs present the measure as a boost in the face of the rising cost of living.
For the unions, it is above all a misinterpretation. «Employees will see the RTT as a potential source of income, and give up this extra time to rest», worries Tuesday Vincent Gautheron, member of the executive committee of the CGT.
Especially since the measure does not concern all sectors, recalls Mr. Gautheron. “Many branches, such as the hotel and catering industry and personal assistance, do not have RTT, and will therefore not see an increase in their salary”, he notes to AFP.
The unions protest above all with a «knife» in the device of 35 hours. For Mr. Gautheron, «the government calls into question working time, without attacking it head-on».
And «constantly invoking the objective of full employment while making those who already have a job work more is a paradox!», points out Frédéric Souillot, secretary general of FO, in a press release.
Another criticism, raised by Force Ouvrière: the exemption from income tax and contributions of the money received when buying back these RTTs, as provided for by the project. «It’s a net loss for the Social Security funds», regrets Michel Beaugas, confederal secretary of FO.
Asked by AFP, the president of the CFTC Cyril Chabanier considers that «the employees who want to buy back their RTT are not those who want to work more to earn more, but those who want above all a decent salary».
“Companies will say that they do not need to increase wages, since employees will be able to buy back their RTT”, fears the president of the CFTC. He recalls that «negotiations are already difficult, but this measure will further encourage companies to increase wages at a minimum.»
For deputy Boris Vallaud, president of the PS group in the Assembly, «the Sarkozy rightist dreamed of it, the macronie does it: quietly kill the 35 hours, with the monetization of the RTT».
«We do not stop the regression in macronie: goodbye to the 35 hours … The sprains were already legion but now, employers will be able to monetize the RTT», reacted the Insoumise Clémentine Autain. While for the environmental mayor of Grenoble Eric Piolle, «the Uber spirit continues» because the State «makes possible the individual purchase of RTTs outside the collective framework and without social security contributions».
Conversely, Senator LR Bruno Retailleau welcomed «a real measure of purchasing power, over time, for those who wish to work more». «A revolution, after the 35 hours have impoverished the French and downgraded France,» he added on Twitter.