Photo: APRESS.COM/Lionel Urman
On the first day of the calendar year, a number of laws enacted in 2023 go into effect, some of them by force. From minor advances to social upheaval, with the first measures of the so-called Full Employment Act, we take a look at ten changes that will impact everyday life.
- France Travail replaces the employment office
The employment office is closing. From now on, users will have to turn to an institution called France Travail, a network including former ANPEs (unemployed and those on social benefits). The Employee Card promises to be a vast energy factory for the French economy. It is one of the first provisions of the so-called "full employment law", which was adopted on 14 November, despite the outrage of elected representatives of the left who denounced the text as a "social war", in particular because of the measures aimed at RSA (active solidarity/social income) recipients.
As of 1 January 2025, exactly one year from now, anyone who applies to the CAF for an RSA (work or social allowance) will be automatically registered with France Travail and will be required to sign a "commitment contract" obliging them to work 15 hours a week, except in special situations, and will be subject to a "suspension-remobilisation" measure that will withdraw their allowance in the event of non-compliance.
2. Annual minimum wage increase: +1.13
Gross monthly salary of €1,766.92 or €1,398.69 net for a 35-hour working week. This is the new amount of the Smic (minimum growth wage), which will increase from €11.52 to €11.65 per hour, representing a monthly increase of just €15.62 (+1.13 %, as stated in the decree published in the Journal officiel of 21 December 2023). In 2023, more than 17 % (3.1 million) employees (mainly women) will be paid the minimum wage, many of them working part-time.
"Who are we to believe that more than 3 million employees are working without qualifications and experience? Last December, L'Humanité quoted economist Henri Sterdyniak as saying that "wages should better reflect the social utility of jobs", while "the crisis in the health sector has shown the role of those who do the hardest work first".
Since January 2021, the minimum wage has risen by 12.4 %, while inflation has been 12.5 %, meaning that its purchasing power has remained virtually unchanged, the co-founder of the Economistes atterrés pointed out.
- Lunch vouchers can still be used to buy food.
Restaurant vouchers can still be used to buy vegetables or packets of rice in supermarkets. January 2024 was supposed to mark the end of using meal vouchers to buy ready meals. In the end, this will not happen this year, as Olivia Grégoire, the French minister for small and medium-sized enterprises, has decided to extend the exemption until 31 December 2024.
This decision is a step backwards after the general uproar caused by Bruno Lemaire's announcement last November. At a time of soaring prices, the economy minister announced his intention to end the measure, which was introduced in 2022 and aimed at limiting the impact of food inflation on workers.
- Electric cars: long-term rental offer
It will now be possible to rent an electric car for €100 per month on a long-term basis under certain conditions. This offer, whose stated aim is to enable the most modest households to switch to electric cars, is a pre-election promise by candidate Macron and a key measure in his plan to reduce France's greenhouse gas emissions by 55 % by 2030.
But who will really benefit from it? Not many people at the moment, as the offer will initially be reserved for active heavy vehicle drivers (driving more than 8,000 km a year or living more than 15 km from their workplace) whose tax income per unit is less than €15,400 a year.
A platform called "My Electric Leasing" has been set up for those who qualify, where they will have to contact approved private sector leasing companies. The first keys will be distributed in January.
According to the Elysee Palace, the fleet will be between 4 and 5 million people, with 20,000 to 25,000 leased vehicles by the end of 2024, rising to 40,000 by 2025. These figures fall far short of the 100,000 electric cars announced by the Head of State during the presidential campaign.
Karima Delli, chair of the European Parliament's transport and tourism committee, complained to Libération: "So few people care that it's all about marketing. Above all, we need a serious response to rail and public transport - that's what the French really want in mobility.
- Disability, loss of independence: creation of MaPrimeAdapt, redesign of existing aids
The so-called "MaPrimeAdapt" is a means-tested program designed to help people with disabilities or loss of independence improve the accessibility of their homes. It is designed to fund works such as fitting a bathroom, building a staircase or widening a front door, up to 50 % or 70 % of the cost of the adaptations.
Eligibility criteria: have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 50 %, or be aged 60 to 69 with evidence of early loss of independence, or be aged 70 or over, regardless of degree of dependency or independence.
However, MaPrimeAdapt is only a recasting of three existing forms of aid, which it will replace as of 1 January 2024: the "Habiter Facile" programme aid distributed by the Agence nationale de l'habitat (Anah), the aid provided by the Caisse nationale d'assurance vieillesse (Cnav) for the adaptation of homes for the elderly and the tax credit for certain types of work.
- Abortion: no waiting period for sick leave
Women on sick leave after a miscarriage will no longer have deductions made from their salary. The law of 7 July 2023, which aims to "provide better support for women after an abortion", ends the waiting period for daily benefits that was introduced in the case of traditional sick leave.
This measure is intended to apply to professionals in the private and public sectors, as well as to self-employed and non-agricultural workers.
An estimated 200 000 women spontaneously terminate their pregnancies in France each year, a difficult ordeal whose physical and psychological consequences are often downplayed by those around them and a source of increasingly documented difficulties.
- Combating domestic violence: the judiciary establishes specialised centres
This is one of the reforms introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2023. It envisages the creation of specialised centres for the fight against domestic violence in all courts and courts of appeal. The purpose of these centres, composed of judges and prosecutors, as well as directors of court offices, court clerks and legal assistants, will be to guarantee a coordinated and rapid action by all actors involved in the justice system and their partners.
However, in the face of the mischief that led to 49,616 convictions in 2022, an increase of 123 % compared to 2017 (22,206 convictions), associations working in this field consider this measure to be not ambitious enough, despite the fact that the creation of specialized "jurisdictions" was a pre-election promise of Emmanuel Macron in 2022.
- Sharp increase in stamp prices
La Poste announced the change back in July. From 1 January, customers will have to pay much more for stamps, on average 8.3 %. For green stamps, which will rise from €1.16 to €1.29, the increase is 11.20 %.
La Poste justified this decision "in the context of inflation and declining parcel volumes".
- Obligation to separate waste: extended to private persons
From 1 January, food waste can no longer be disposed of with household waste. The government website says: "Bio-waste sorting will be extended to all professionals and private individuals". This means every household will have to take steps to introduce a 'source separation solution', 'whether it is a personal composter or a sorting bin'. This measure is part of the law on the fight against waste and circular economy (Loi Agec), which was adopted in 2020 to combat food waste.
However, many local authorities responsible for recycling are not ready for this transition, partly for financial reasons. "We estimate that around twenty million French residents, a third of the population, are using the solution," Nicolas Garnier, general delegate of Amorce, which is supporting local authorities in their transition, told L'Humanité newspaper.
- Remuneration for work placements: symbolic increase
Thirty centimes an hour more. From 1 January, the statutory minimum remuneration for trainees hired by companies will increase from 4.05 to 4.35 euros per hour of actual presence. Interns will receive 15 % of the social insurance ceiling in accordance with the changes to this ceiling.
Le Humanité/JaV
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