While acknowledging that measures such as part-time unemployment assistance had worked well, artisan representatives found a lot of details of the government aid to be lacking. They pointed out that the Covid restrictions impacted nearly every artisan enterprise, even if this was not always visible at first glance.
The federation asked: “The virus did not discriminate in halting economic life, so why are we discriminating in who gets assistance?”
Secretary general Romain Schmit said he could not understand why some people receive nothing, others 80% and others still - namely those employed by the government and municipalities - 100% of their salary.
In the name of fairness, the Federation of Artisans issued the following demand:
“We demand that non-work everywhere, in every sector, and across every activity should be indemnified only to 80%. Whether that’s partial unemployment, dispensation, sick pay, maternity leave, or family leave. 80% across the board. This is a simple, pragmatic and fair solution and a first step towards a “unique status” that the artisan sector has been waiting for since 2007.”
