A tightening of sanctions against the unemployed who fail to fulfil their obligations, the most important as announced by the government, has pushed the trade unions to which job seekers are going to be forced to accept "odd jobs" in the image of "mini-jobs" in Germany. "Under the guise of harmonization, they have hardened," says Michel Beaugas (FO), when the CGT quips on a "small Christmas gift" seen as a signal of distrust of the unemployed".

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the text of The decree published on 30 December in the official journal in the middle of a series on vocational training, has been transmitted to the trade union organisations at the beginning of December, in the midst of a crisis of the "yellow vests". The principle of review the scale of sanctions in case of breach of had been recognised by the act, "professional future" adopted this summer. The strengthening of the control of the unemployed, provided by the applicant Macron during the election campaign, is presented from the beginning as the counterpart of a larger opening of the unemployment insurance to resign and the self-employed. But the reform is less ambitious than the campaign promise of a universal plan: 20,000 to 30,000 new potential beneficiaries per year among workers, in the light of the 70.000 already compensated each year.

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In march, the ministry of Labour had submitted to the social partners of the new scale of sanctions, some lighter, others heavier, and already reported as severe by the trade unions. The decree issued Sunday, deviates a little from what had been announced. The fact that they did not make it to an appointment with a counsellor, for example, had to be sanctioned 15 days of cancellation of the lists instead of the two months in force. Finally, the text provides a month of radiation, two months after two failures and four months in the "third failure". Where sanctions were concerned about the lack of job search (refusal on two occasions of a "reasonable job offer" for example), the government had referred to the graduated sanctions: "suspension" of the allocation of one month the first time, and "deleting" of two months the second time and four months the third time.

The decree removes the allocation from the first breach of an obligation (except in the case of an appointment missed with his advisor) and do not suspend more, which would retain his rights and collect it then. "So much, it was agreed to review the scale of sanctions, but not to a deletion at the end of a month," says Michel Beaugas.

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A part of the decree includes measures provided for by law, such as the transfer of the State job center of all power to sanction, or the redefinition of what is a "reasonable job offer". Until now, this concept was difficult to apply and causes very little penalties (77 write-offs in 2013). It will now be discussed with the advisor.

12% of job seekers are not actively seeking a job, but this rate drops to 8% among recipients of unemployment insurance.

According to a study online this summer by the Pôle emploi.

According to a study online this summer by Pôle emploi, 12% of job seekers are not actively seeking a job, but this rate drops to 8% among recipients of unemployment insurance. The control must be done via a "log" of digital, where job seekers learn all the months their acts of job search. From mid-2019, this device should be experienced during one year in two or three regions. As for the control teams, they went from 200 to 600 people.

For Denis Gravouil (CGT), the "Pôle emploi will be judge and party". With the deletion of the reference to the previous salary as a criterion to offer "reasonable", he was also concerned that this "force the job seekers "to accept any job," much like "mini-jobs" germans. Elected CFDT chez Pôle emploi, David Vallaperta tempers. The salary, which is not often mentioned by companies in a first time, is not the only criterion. "This is much more complex," he explains, to the AFP. However, these new rules "put the advisor even more in the front line", he said, regretting the passing that it "accentuates the dimension control and that we don't do much to give more means to the accompaniment of the unemployed.