Following the French Government’s announcement that covid bonus payments should be made to workers on the “second-line” against coronavirus, two French transport unions have called on the state to foot some of the bill.
As French road transport website Routiers reports, the UF Route CFDT and FGT CFTC unions have reacted to the bonus scheme by saying that very few road transport firms can pay truckers the premiums as the industry is suffering financially as a result of coronavirus.
In addition, the unions state that wage negotiations with hauliers have yielded insufficient results to cover the increase in the consumer price index (+ 0.5% in 2020), which effectively means truck drivers in the country have less purchasing power.
The two unions have thus asked the state to help companies make the bonus payments in order to reward transport employees for their hard work during the pandemic.
In order to find the money, the unions have suggested the establishment of a covid tax credit, which would be used to allow companies to pay the premiums due this year across future years.