Towards an increase in wages after the November 5 strike? A boss explains his choice

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full. Rémi Virly is a candy cooker.

He has three years of seniority in a company and a salary slightly above the minimum wage, around 1,500 euros net per month. “At the end of the month, once all my rent, groceries, various and varied insurance costs [paid], I would say that I would be missing 100 euros, 100, 120 euros to be comfortable,” he estimates. Samir Refoufi, the head of the workshop, receives up to 1,600 euros, but for three days of work per week.

Each year, he generally has a revaluation indexed to inflation, too little, according to him. “Twenty euros gross, what’s that going to do? Maybe 16 euros net, but what is 16 euros?

Nothing... Life is becoming too expensive", he laments. To provide a first response to its employees in the face of the purchasing power crisis, the company is now paying for part of the fuel. Less expensive than increasing salaries: "A salary increase is over a full year, whereas an increase in fuel has been very sporadic", points out Stéphane Crespel, the director of Kubli.

“And we must not forget, the aid you give us is not charged. We receive it net. I won a week of riding for free,” emphasizes Samir.

“We must reduce all deductions to make the cost of labor lower” Because the boss has done his calculations: this represents 15 euros net per month more in the pockets of his 25 employees. “And with all the contributions that are charged to a company, we would arrive at 9,000 euros, simplifying over a year,” explains Stéphane Crespel. He assures that he does not have the means: “The company needs to constantly reinvest.

So, investing in employees is one thing, but investing in the development of the company is another. And the company needs it to develop,” he argues. Bosses questioned during recent mobilizations.

More salary means more purchasing power. But according to Michel Picon, president of U2P, the effort must come from the State. “We must reduce all levies to make labor costs lower and thus allow companies to better pay their employees,” believes the representative.

Companies should favor individual increases for 2027, between 2 and 2.5% on average, mainly in the industrial and human resources sectors.

Machine-translated from French