Overview
- May 25, 2026 falls on the Monday of Pentecost and many employers treat it as the country's yearly 'journée de solidarité' when staff may be asked to work without extra pay.
- The solidarity day was created after the 2003 heatwave and requires firms to contribute the value of one unpaid working day to the Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l'autonomie (CNSA).
- How the day is applied is decided by company or sector agreements or, if none exist, by the employer after consulting the company's social and economic committee (CSE).
- Rules have been loosened since 2004 so companies can meet the obligation by using another public holiday (except May 1), a weekend day, or by asking employees to forgo an RTT day.
- The money funds EHPADs, pay for nursing-home staff and part of home support for people with disabilities, and the way companies handle the day directly affects workers' schedules and annual leave.