"Museum of Horrors": CFDT protests against the possibility of monetizing the fifth week of paid leave
By The New Obs with AFP
Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet during the press conference given by the Bayrou government, on its plans to save money and reduce France's debt, in Paris, July 15, 2025. JEANNE ACCORSINI/SIPA
The possibility for employees to monetize their fifth week of paid leave is part of the "museum of horrors" of the government's ideas for reforming labor law, said CFDT general secretary Marylise Léon on Thursday, July 17.
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Prime Minister François Bayrou announced on Tuesday that he would propose to social partners that they open negotiations on unemployment insurance and labor law, in particular to "facilitate recruitment" and "increase job offers."
Labor Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet later clarified that "the possibility of monetizing the fifth week of paid leave" would be one of the options that would be put on the table. In practice, this means that an employee would have the option of voluntarily sacrificing their fifth week of leave in order to be paid. This mechanism already exists, since 2022 for the monetization of RTT .
“The number one issue is purchasing power.”"The monetization of the fifth week of paid leave is part of the museum of horrors that was opened at the time of the presentation of what could be done on labor law," reacted Marylise Léon on France Inter.
Monetizing paid leave is currently prohibited for companies. It will therefore be part of the negotiations between social partners on the Labor Code component, for which a guidance document will be sent in early August.
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