“I need more money”: in companies, bosses and employees divided over a possible increase in the minimum wage

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full. At the wheel of a truck, Lou Vuibert, 28 years old, hired for two years at ATC Location, a horse transport company in Auffargis (Yvelines).

She earns just a little more than the hourly minimum wage. Not enough to get by, she assures: "Being on minimum wage is complicated. I need more money, that's obvious, to live every day and not just to survive, to count all my expenses one by one.

I would like my work to be valued by being better paid, and therefore by not only being paid the minimum wage. “All his colleagues are on the same regime. Like Romain Mologni, 10 years of seniority.

He manages to make ends meet only by working more: "As a transporter, we are paid the minimum and afterward, we get by thanks to our packed lunches, overtime and all that, time off work..." "If I increase my employees by 10%, [...] I work for nothing" Raising the minimum wage, the Minister of Labor is working on it. Today, the minimum wage amounts to 1,477.93 euros net per month. He could raise it to the symbolic bar of 1,500 euros, or 22 euros more.

Far from the expectations of the unions: the CFDT is demanding an increase of 100 euros net per month. Labor force, 123 euros, and CGT of 150 euros. But for the manager of this small business, such an increase in wages is impossible.

“Today, my company makes 1,300,000 euros in turnover, 3% profits, if I increase my employees by 10%, I am at 0.5% profits, therefore, I work for nothing”, underlines Kevin Morizé, manager of ATC Location. On Monday, the Prime Minister will bring together employee unions and employers to try to find an agreement on the question of wages and purchasing power.

Machine-translated from French