The prison employment contract is “a necessary development but there are still important issues”, explained Sunday May 1 on franceinfo Cécile Marcel, director of the French section of the International Observatory of Prisons (OIP). For prisoners, May 1 marks a step forward in their labor law because the prison employment contract comes into force. It regulates the procedures for recruitment, suspension and termination of the employment relationship, or the minimum and maximum working hours, rest time.
franceinfo: How many prisoners work?
Cecile Marcel: About 28% of prisoners work, mainly in the general service of the prison, that is to say in the canteen, in the distribution of meals, in cleaning. They also work in private concessions, that is to say for external service providers.
Will this prison employment contract increase the employment rate in prison?
It is an evolution which was necessary because it should be known that until then, there was no right to work in prison at all, that is to say that there was no supervision of the working relationship between detainees and the ordering party. There was no salary equivalent to minimum wage, no flexibility. Changes were necessary and requested for a long time. The entry into force today of the prison employment contract responds to some of the problems but not all. It makes it possible to regulate the work relationship, from now on prisoners who ask to have a job can appeal.
“The organization of work is provided for within the framework of this contract, which is not an employment contract equivalent to those outside, but which fixes the hourly volume and remuneration.”
Cécile Marcel, director of the French section of the OIPat franceinfo
There are still important issues such as the salary which is between 20% and 45% of the minimum wage.
What justifies this non-alignment at Smic?
The prison administration believes that if the dealers are forced to pay minimum wage, there will be no more. For us, this raises the question of the content of work in prison. The problem is that the work given to prisoners is very unqualifying, it is often handling. For us, it would be necessary to completely rethink the organization of work in prison, to promote integration through economic activity. The labor economy should be more subsidized.
Is there a high demand?
There is a strong demand, there are more people who would like to work than vacancies. Detention costs money. You have to pay for the TV, the fridge, the telephone… The fact of working allows them to have a little savings and to be able to get out of the cell because otherwise the time in detention is extremely empty.