After the announcement of the two holidays’ abolition, François Bayrou wants to tackle the holidays of the French. In her 2026 budget draft, the Minister of Labor, Astrid Panosyan proposed to open up to business negotiation the possibility for an employee of Sell your fifth week of paid vacation to the company, in exchange for financial compensation.
The system would not be imposed, but reserved for volunteering, and supervised by company agreements. He would be inspired by Current RTT mechanism : Those who choose to give it up will benefit from an increase in their salary (up to 25 %) and a tax exemption (capped at 7,500 euros per year). This extension to the fifth week of leave would aim to increase the actual working hours, while offering additional purchasing power to the French.
How much will you receive for your 5ᵉ week of leave?
The government’s argument is clear: work more to earn more, Stimulate growth without increasing the burden of companies, and increasing the purchasing power of volunteers. For an employee paid € 2,000 per month, the monetization of the fifth week would represent an additional increase of 500 to 625 € thanks to the increase. The fact remains that questions of personal life balance / personal life, stress and wage management seem to have been quickly dismissed from the debate.
Volunteer or constraint suffered?
The central question will be that of the real volunteer. If the system is not compulsory, it could nevertheless create a new standard, particularly in companies or sectors where the wage precariousness is strong. The CFDT union points to the risk of a “Questioning social achievements“, And fears a deterioration in long -term working conditions. Others denounce the illusion of a freedom of choice: for some employees, the economic constraint could make this volunteer very theoretical, in particular in the low -income sectors.
A calendar that promises to be tense
The government is delaying, announcing that no measure will be imposed without in -depth dialogue with the social partners. The orientation document scheduled for early August will open the way to negotiations that are already promising to be hectic, as the stake affects the heart of the French social model.
Until then, the question of the monetization of the fifth week will inevitably stir up the debates between defense of purchasing power, economic efficiency, and preservation of social rights.
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