The growing sector of personal services (early childhood, disability, seniors, cleaning and various aids) weighs around fifteen billion euros in annual turnover. This does not prevent wage increases in this sector, which employs around 200,000 people, mostly low-income employees, from being blocked despite soaring inflation. The cause ? Difficulty in agreeing on proposals that differ by only a few euro cents.
Two packages of endorsements were presented in quick succession to the unions, in particular to increase salaries and improve the current mileage allowance by 22 euro cents. The first package, on the initiative of Fedesap, which claims 37.38% of employer representation in the branch (with 130,000 employees), proposes to increase this mileage allowance to 35 euro cents and to revalue the four levels of salaries.
FO (14.33% union representation) and the CFTC (26.75%) approved this new mileage allowance, while the CFDT (39.66%) joined these two unions on the new salary scale. In the meantime, the Fesp (44.20%) and the Synerpa Domicile (10.47%) have also made a proposal, subject to signature until July 4 and slightly “lower priced”, as Mehdi Tibourtine recognizes ( Fesp): 33 cents of mileage allowance and a salary scale respectively lower by 0, 2, 3 and 4 euro cents per hour than the revaluation proposed by Fedesap.
“These increases are realistic”
“The Fedesap proposal is not bearable by our members”, pleaded the representative of the Fesp. “We tend to think about this delta of a few cents, but over the year, this represents an additional cost of tens of thousands of euros per company”, he explained. What triggered the anger of the unions was the announcement by the Fesp-Synerpa Domicile duo, which represents more than 50% of the branch, that it would oppose the opposing agreement if it was extended. by the administration, thus effectively blocking the improvement of remuneration.
“If Fedesap has put the two riders on the table, it is obvious that from an economic point of view, these increases are realistic”, underlines FO in a press release, assuring that the posture of the Fesp and Synerpa Domicile him “raise the hair”. “Why are some companies able to protect the purchasing power of their employees and others not? “, adds FO.
The growing sector of personal services (early childhood, disability, seniors, cleaning and various aids) weighs around fifteen billion euros in annual turnover. According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the fact that the Fesp is made up of numerous representative structures, that is to say without employees, and that the Synerpa Domicile largely represents highly financialized Ehpad groups such as Orpea would explain the reluctance to improve salary conditions.
“The trade unions are a little tense, because they have to manage several proposals”, estimates Mr. Tibourtine, who recognizes that 22 centimes of mileage allowance “it is far too low”. The representative of the Fesp claims to have raised in March to 33 cents an initial proposal of 30 cents.
A call to Elisabeth Borne
“Home care structures cannot increase their prices during the year,” he defends himself, recalling the impossibility for companies in the sector to defer the immediate effects of inflation. “There is also the desire to create a seniority level from 10 years and to double the bonus per employee from five years of seniority”, he boasts in his proposal.
And, concerning wages, “if the Smic increases, we will immediately update the levels” higher, he promises. On Monday, the four representative trade union organizations (CFDT, CFTC, CGT and FO) also requested the State. After having slammed the door of the discussions, denouncing in a press release the “incredible” negotiations and the “blackmail” exerted by the Fesp and the Synerpa Domicile, they called on the administration to take the talks in hand.
“Ms. (Élisabeth) Borne (the Prime Minister) explains everywhere that she is going to put pressure on the branches for purchasing power. However, in ours, all levels will remain under the minimum wage because of this blockage, ”summarizes Aline Mougenot for the CFTC.