2023-04-20 09:21:08
Published on : Modified :
Massy (AFP) Employees of the Carrefour retail group suffering from endometriosis will now be able to be absent for up to 12 days a year, but only if they are recognized as disabled, which involves cumbersome procedures and concerns few of the 10% of women affected by this disease.
“To advance women’s rights and equality at work, we have decided (…) to grant 12 days off to women with endometriosis, one day per month,” said during a press conference the CEO of the group, Alexandre Bompard, believing that Carrefour is “the first major company to do so”.
To benefit from these days of “authorized medical absence”, employees must however present “a document attesting to the situation of disability recognized by the company (Recognition of Quality of Disabled Worker (RQTH), inclusion card or certificate of disability issued by the CPAM), “said the group in a press release.
A very important limitation because few women have taken these long and complicated steps.
For Yasmine Candau, president of the association for the fight against endometriosis EndoFrance, which is trying to make large groups aware of this disease, the measures taken by Carrefour are “a very good thing because it makes endometriosis visible in the world of work”.
This gynecological disease linked to the presence of tissue similar to the uterine lining outside the uterus affects one in ten menstruating people, according to Inserm data.
“I’m not sure that the response should be legislative, but it’s encouraging social dialogue, where possible, where it makes sense,” reacted government spokesman Olivier Véran, who greeted “as staff” the approach.
“There is no bill on this issue at the time I am talking to you about, but we are watching carefully how things are going in companies and communities which are already putting in place” special provisions , he added.
According to the CEO of Carrefour, 50,000 women “work every day in Carrefour stores in France”.
The president of EndoFrance welcomes the fact that the measure could push the women concerned to apply for disabled status. “When you have endometriosis that is so severe that it is disabling, it’s important to make this request, because this approach will help you stay in work, with flexible hours, suitable furniture, etc.”
“Training effect”
Currently, few companies take this debilitating disease into account.
An innovative company agreement signed between the management of L’Oréal and its union representatives at the beginning of January grants three days of authorized medical absences per year to medically diagnosed employees, on simple “presentation of medical proof”.
Asked by AFP to find out why Carrefour conditions the granting of one day off per month to a disabled status, the group replied: “The certificate (of a disabled status) makes it possible to direct the system towards women who suffer the most. They are identified more.”
In front of the press, the CEO said Wednesday “the secret hope” of his group “that this decision goes beyond Carrefour, that it has a ripple effect, that other companies take it up”.
He did not want to quantify the measure or reveal how many employees it would affect.
On France Inter Wednesday, the president of the strategic committee of the E.Leclerc centers, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, affirmed that Carrefour was “pioneer” in the matter, explaining that it was “a subject which we debate in all the distribution” because decided by branch agreements.
These measures only concern employees in France for the moment, but Alexandre Bompard intends to “adapt the announcements that we are making today to all countries”, while “200,000 women are currently working” for the group.
Carrefour announced two other measures: “three days of authorized medical absence following a miscarriage” – a law on the subject is currently being debated in Parliament -, as well as a day of absence for women at PMA.
© 2023 AFP
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