Background information

The COVID-19 outbreak exercised a great pressure on the National Health System and on the people serving therein. On 15 April 2020, the Prime minister has, hence, announced that the government is going to pay an exceptional bonus to healthcare workers.The measure will concern most of the health personnel, with a specific attention to those that have been employed in the departments most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

Content of measure

According to this measure, an exceptional bonus of €1,500 will be paid in May to healthcare workers in the departments most affected by the epidemic and to those in the departments that received COVID-19 patients in the departments least affected. Other health personnel will receive a €500 bonus, he added, specifying that these bonuses will be free of charges and taxes. All of the hospital staff will also receive a 50% increase in overtime, i.e. an average of more than €600 per employee, also without taxes or charges, according to the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. Each member of staff will therefore receive an average of €1,000 to €2,000, he said, with a total cost to the State of €1.3 billion. In addition to this, there will be a future bonus for staff in the medico-social sector, in particular those in home for the elderly and dependent persons (EHPAD), which have had to reorganise. To launch this bonus, the government has to discuss with local authorities, particularly with the departments that often finance them, to determine the conditions for financing this bonus

Use of measure

There are about 140,000 medical staff working in Public hospital by 2017.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Particular professions	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Local / regional government	Local funds National funds Regional funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

There was no direct involvement from any social partners.

Views and reactions

Trade unions highlights that a bonus is not enough. 'A bonus? No way! Announce wage increases if you want to save the public hospital', tweeted the Collectif Inter-Hôpitaux, the spearhead of a strike movement in the sector in recent months. 'These bonuses will never replace the necessary wage increases that have long been demanded by employees,' reacted the CGT Civil Service.

Sectors and occupations

Sources

• 15 April 2020: Déclaration de M. Édouard PHILIPPE, Premier ministre à l’issue du Conseil des ministres