“Blow of the knife” against 35 hours, poor response to inflation: the unions oppose the RTT reconversion project against remuneration, for private sector employees, about to be voted on in Parliament.

Supported by the presidential majority and the right, this project gives private companies the possibility of buying RTT days from employees, if they request it. Defenders of the monetization of RTTs present the measure as a boost given the increase in the cost of living.

For the unions, it is above all a misunderstanding. “Employees will see in the RTT a potential source of income, and they will give up that extra time to rest,” Vincent Gautheron, a member of the CGT executive committee, worries on Tuesday.

“knife shot”

Especially since the measure does not affect all sectors, recalls Mr. Gautheron. “Many branches, such as hospitality and personal assistance, do not have RTT, so they will not see a salary increase,” he points out to AFP.

The unions protest above all with a “knife” in the 35-hour device. For Mr. Gautheron, “the government questions working time, without attacking it head-on.”

And “constantly invoking the goal of full employment while making those who already have a job work harder is a paradox,” says Frédéric Souillot, secretary general of FO, in a press release.

Net loss for social security

Another criticism, raised by Force Ouvrière: the exemption from income tax and contributions from the money received when buying back these RTTs, as provided for in the project. “It is a net loss for the Social Security funds”, laments 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 harder to earn more, but rather those who want, above all, a decent wage.”

“Companies will say they don’t need to raise wages, since employees will be able to buy back their RTT,” the CFTC chairman fears. He recalls that “negotiations are already difficult, but this measure will further encourage companies to increase wages to the minimum.”