The decree of June 25, 2014 makes the provisions of the agreement applicable from July 1, 2014 mandatory, except for the provisions relating to rechargeable rights applicable from October 1, 2014.
Decree No. 2014-670 of June 24, 2014 incorporated these rules into the Labour Code in Article R. 5422-2 to take into account the new rechargeable rights system.
A first UNEDIC circular dated July 2, 2014, mentions the rules for the entry into force of the new provisions, which will be detailed and explained in the general presentation circular of September 30, 2014.
The agreement applies to employees whose employment contract ends on or after 1er July 2014, the end date of the contract being the date of the end of the notice period, whether it is carried out or not (Labour Code art. L. 1234-4).
In the event of redundancy, the agreement applies to redundancies for which the procedure was initiated after June 30, 2014, i.e. from January 1er July 2014, so that any procedure initiated before June 30, 2014, falls under the convention of May 6, 2011, its attached general regulations and its annexes.
Extension of the "waiting period" for receiving unemployment benefits
Until July 1 , 2014, a person unemployed after a dismissal or a negotiated termination had to wait a maximum of 75 days to receive benefits.
Now, Article 21 of the Unédic general regulations stipulates that when the amount of benefits received exceeds the legally mandated amount, this waiting period can be extended to 180 days, or 6 months.
This extension depends on the amount of the benefit: the higher the benefit, the longer the waiting period.
However, this extended waiting period does not apply to benefits paid in cases of redundancy.
The "rechargeable rights" system
Unemployed individuals will be able to accrue unemployment benefits for each job they complete.
To qualify for these new benefits, they must have worked at least 150 hours, either in a single period or through several short-term contracts.
Interim
Temporary workers will be subject to the rules of the general social security scheme, particularly regarding the "rechargeable rights" system.
Certain specific rules will remain in place, for example, concerning the calculation of a temporary worker's daily reference wage.
This recharge of rights is provided for in Articles 28 and 29 of the general regulations appended to the agreement of May 14, 2014.
Combining unemployment and employment
The "reduced activity" scheme has been modified, as outlined in Articles 30 to 34 of the Unédic Regulations.
The possibility for an employee to combine unemployment benefits (ARE) with other benefits is no longer limited to 15 months, and the calculation rules have changed: 70% of gross salary is now deducted from the amount of the allowance received during periods of work.
Seniors over 65 years old
Until July 1 , 2014, employees aged 65 and over were exempt from Unédic contributions.
Article 51 of the general regulations appended to the agreement removes the reference to the 65-year age limit.
A "specific solidarity contribution" is now in place, calculated on the same basis as unemployment insurance contributions: 6.40% (4% employer contribution and 2.40% employee contribution).
An employer contribution of 0.30% is also due for the AGS (Wage Guarantee Fund).
