The day of solidarity instituted in France in 2003 made this Monday difficult to understand when it is no longer necessarily unemployed.
By Valentin Dechambre for Le Point
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Instituted the day after the deadly heat wave of 2003 with the aim of financing the National Solidarity Fund for Autonomy (CNSA), Pentecost Monday is theoretically today a working day like any other. If the device was relaxed for employees in 2008, it has since been extended to retirees. It brings in more than three billion euros a year.
How was this day of solidarity born?
During the summer of 2003, 15,000 people, mostly elderly, succumbed to high temperatures. To compensate for a risky management of this crisis (the Raffarin government remained silent for a long time), Jacques Chirac regained control by announcing a symbolic measure. A public holiday will now be worked to finance solidarity for the elderly.
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The law of June 30, 2004 states that “a day of solidarity is instituted in order to ensure the financing of actions in favor of the autonomy of the elderly or disabled. It takes the form of an additional day of unpaid work for employees and the contribution [des employeurs pour financer] independence of older people and people with disabilities.
After having imagined making “open” on May 8, the government endorses the decision to make the French work on Whit Monday. Two reasons weigh in the balance: it is not a religious holiday (the Christian celebration takes place on the previous Sunday). And, by definition, Whit Monday never falls on the weekend, which makes it possible to obtain constant resources. The text of the law thus specifies that “in the absence of a convention or agreement, the day of solidarity is Pentecost Monday”.
Who works ? Who is unemployed?
This “solidarity day” is very unevenly applied. This led to a reform of the system in 2008. Companies are now free to choose the day on which employees will work to finance dependency. However, some sectors are more affected than others. If the employees of large groups retain the benefit of this day off, the situation is more contrasted for SMEs. Shops are operating almost normally. A situation close to a classic holiday. Almost all administrations will, on the contrary, remain closed on Monday. Just like schools, which, for parents, sometimes turns into a headache.
How does this day make money?
In exchange for this extra day worked, employers must pay 0.3% of their payroll to the National Solidarity Fund for Autonomy. This compensation is called the autonomy solidarity contribution (CSA). Capital income, excluding people’s savings of the type Livret A, is also subject to this 0.3% levy.
Are those who are not working today still participating in the solidarity effort?
Since 2008, the system has authorized employers to modulate the system. Some opt for the abolition of a day off or a reduction in working time (RTT). The principle is that employees work seven hours more in the year without being paid.
What does Pentecost celebrate?
Pentecost (“the fiftieth day” after Easter) is a Christian holiday that celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, who makes up the third element of what Christians consider to be the Trinity. According to the Gospels, the apostles on pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot received divine inspiration (the Holy Spirit) that day.