One “better balance of rights and duties” or a measure “Antisocial” ? Since the presentation of his project on March 17, a reform put forward by Emmanuel Macron has sparked a salvo of criticism from his competitors for the presidential election, but also from unions or associations fighting against exclusion: his will to condition the active solidarity income (RSA) to 15 to 20 hours of weekly activity, facilitating professional integration.
Barely the press conference of the “president-candidate” ended, his opponents denounced this idea, presented as a device that amounts to remunerating the beneficiaries at a discount. They “will work for 7 euros an hour, not even the level of the minimum wage! », protested the communist candidate Fabien Roussel. Which assumes that “fifteen to twenty hours of work” per week will be paid 565 euros, the amount of the RSA per month for a single person. Same argument with the representative of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen. “Emmanuel Macron wants to create a half-time job at 6 euros per hour”she was indignant, criticizing a logic “neoliberal”.
Several unions have also been very critical, including the general secretary of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, or his UNSA counterpart, Laurent Escure. “The poorest must be supported, not suspected or punished. Training should be provided, not imposed.judged the latter.
Opposite, the macronists claim to be victims of a false trial, swearing that they do not want to create low-paid jobs. To hear them, the system they wish to implement would have nothing “punitive” but would instead aim to accompany ” the nearly 2 million RSA beneficiaries towards a ” true “ employment contract. Without the collection of this minimum income being an end in itself, but simply a transitional stage.
“The objective is to get out of it”
The RSAs “is a social progress, but the objective is not to stay there, it is to get out of it”underlined the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, Monday, March 21, on TF1. “Helping someone, accompanying them towards integration, is always better than giving them an allowance. Allowance is the answer of cowards,” pleaded the boss of the deputies La République en Marche (LRM), Christophe Castaner, Monday, on BFM-TV. ” The allowance is the answer to poverty,” retorted the deputy of La France insoumise (LFI), Adrien Quatennens.
The controversy is fueled by the ambiguity of Mr. Macron’s remarks. When he spoke of the need for “dedicate fifteen to twenty hours a week for an activity”in order to be able to touch the RSA, he both spoke of a « obligation » – suggesting that this would apply to all beneficiaries, without distinction – before saying that this would concern “all those who can”. This raises questions about possible exemptions. The concrete organization of the device is not more specified in his presidential project. Under the heading “Reinforced rights and duties”, it is simply written that the RSA must be “conditional to an effective activity which allows integration”. Without specifying what criteria will be used to assess what a “actual activity”.
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