The text advances. Deputies and senators reached a compromise on Monday, October 23, on a common version of the “full employment” bill, in which they reintroduced an article laying down the beginnings of a public early childhood service.
The agreement between representatives of the two chambers, in a joint committee, also confirmed new criticized requirements for RSA beneficiaries. The compromise must now be validated one last time by the National Assembly and the Senate for the bill to be definitively adopted. “We have arrived at a good compromise which can satisfy all parties, without distorting the objective of the text,” one of the rapporteurs of the text to the Assembly, Paul Christophe (Horizons), told AFP.
Childcare
The agreement provides in particular to reintroduce an article on childcare, adopted in the Senate but which had been deleted in the Assembly to the great dismay of the executive, under the crossfire of deputies LR, LFI, RN, communists and Liot. This article grants municipalities the status of organizing authorities for this reception, with new obligations. It “will allow the implementation on the ground of the public early childhood service”, the Minister of Solidarity Aurore Bergé welcomed to an AFP journalist.
The CMP agreed on a date of entry into force of January 1, 2025 for these new obligations. Only that for municipalities with more than 10,000 inhabitants to set up an early childhood relay will come into force later, in 2026.
“The development of a multi-year plan on the provision of care for young children will only be obligatory for those with more than 10,000 inhabitants,” the Senate specified in a press release.
Pôle Emploi becomes “France Travail”
The senators also accepted that Pôle Emploi be renamed “France Travail”, a name change that they had erased during their examination of the text. It is around this operator that the bill provides for a network reorganization of the public employment service, for better sharing of information and intensified support for people furthest from employment.
Despite a rewrite, the agreement reinforces the criticized measure providing for a minimum of 15 hours of weekly activities for all those registered on a future large list of job seekers, now including all RSA beneficiaries, but with a series of exceptions and possible adjustments.
The vote on this compromise in the Senate is scheduled for November 9. The date has not yet been set for the Assembly.