The government announced Tuesday, May 11, to extend by four months “The white year” for intermittent entertainment workers in order to maintain their level of compensation until December 31, 2021. New allowances must then be made available to them for another year to support the recovery of some 120,000 live performance professionals.
These additional rights, as well as the shortfall for the unemployment insurance scheme, linked to the drop in contributions from the sector over this period, should still cost Unédic some 200 million euros, told reporters. officials from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Culture, following a meeting of the National Council of Performing Professions.
Around 3,000 subsidized jobs reserved
Other employment support measures will also be put in place. The government has promised to release 70 million euros, including 40 million euros for young people. The threshold for access to intermittent status will notably be lowered for six months to 338 hours worked, against 507 hours currently for those under 30. Around 3,000 skills employment paths – subsidized jobs for young people – will also be reserved for this sector.
The balance, 30 million euros, will strengthen aid for small venues, will add a device intended for employers who occasionally employ intermittents or will feed aid intended for cafes, bars and restaurants which employ artists.
In a press release, the CGT-Spectacle welcomes the extension of the white year and the establishment of safety nets for 2022, but it ensures that this measure will generate a “Further reduction in compensation for those who have not or very little worked because of the bans since March 2020”.
In 2020, Emmanuel Macron had decided to grant a blank year to intermittents who, due to the closure of theaters, cinemas and the cancellation of major summer festivals, had not been able to do the required 507 hours. Professionals in the sector wanted a second white year.