Fédération des Stomisés de France

France
1 – Legal protection for the worker in case of disability and oncological
conditions.
In France, there are no specific rules providing legal protection for women. The
principle of non-discrimination is adopted, and it runs for the entire duration of the
employment contract. In the event of discrimination, the employer might be subject
to civil and criminal penalties. There are, however, some exceptions. Before
recruitment, employees may be asked to undergo a series of medical examinations
testing eyesight and hearing, in order to verify their driving skills and to ensure their
physical fitness for a specific task. In this regard, bus drivers, railway operatives and
airline pilots, for instance, undergo regular medical examinations.
In addition, after a period of sick leave, workers are required to undergo a medical
check-up, in order to verify their ability to start to work again.
The company medical officer can also propose some changes in the employee’s
working conditions, such as more flexible working time, part-time working, or a new
assignment. The medical officer might also ask for a new work place, in order to
allow the worker to be closer to home. In any case, the employer has the
responsibility to provide the worker with the best employment conditions, according
to his/her health status.
In case of sickness, a full-time contract might be changed into a part-time one. It is
granted by the national insurance and has a maximum length of three years.
Generally speaking, it is provided during medical treatment or recovery, allowing the
worker to return to work and to receive sickness benefits.
In case of dismissal (because there are no suitable assignments for the worker, or
because it is too expensive for the employer to guarantee adequate working
conditions, especially in relation to his/her productivity) the employer is responsible
for this decision, and has to prove it has been made in the interests of the enterprise.
In the event that, after the sickness, the worker is often absent, the courts might be
asked to decide if the number of the absences is such as to compromise the structure
of the company. In this case, he can also agree to his/her dismissal, even though the
employer has to prove he has done his/her utmost to avoid it. If the dismissal takes
place, severance pay that is as much as twice the usual severance pay, is due to the
worker.
2 – Specific Legal Protection for people with cancer.
People with cancer receive specific legal protection, as cancer is included in a list of
chronic diseases.
In case of cancer, national insurance covers all expenses of hospital treatment and
medical examinations, while the sick person has to pay only for his/her personal
expenses, such as the cost of phone calls and a room with TV.

The employee with cancer or any other disease included in the above-mentioned list
is covered by the following provisions:
- from the day of diagnosis, the national insurance grants him/her a daily
subsistence allowance for sickness, that is 50% of his/her daily earning (the worker
receives the remaining amount only if provided by the applicable collective
agreement with a specific clause);
- the employee has to undergo a medical examination provided by the National
Welfare and Assistance Fund (as well as the one provided by the enterprise, if the
worker is paid sickness benefit);
- if provided by the collective agreement, or at the request of the worker
after a ministerial order, the sickness benefit might be recalculated
annually, according to wage developments within the enterprise;
- an increase of such sickness benefit is provided if the worker has more than three
dependent children;
- the sick person who absents him/herself from his/her domicile without
justification, or who has another occupation, will forfeit his/her sickness benefit.
After three years’ sick leave, the worker can be certified as permanently disabled if
still unable to work even in another occupation, and he/she will be granted a
disability pension or, where possible, a retirement pension. Social security
contributions paid while in receipt of sickness benefit or a disability allowance are
taken into account if the worker applies for a retirement pension, and are added to
contributions paid while while working.
In the case of a seriously debilitating condition, the employee is entitled to early
retirement, even though he/she is not 60 years old yet (that is the mandatory
retirement age). In any case, if the worker retires after obtaining a disability pension,
and if he/she is not self-sufficient, a 40% increase of the pension can be granted. (The
same applies in Italy with the ‘Indennità d’accompagnamento’). In some cases,
occupational funds provide a supplementary pension, usually allocated according to
the period of illness.
3 – Specific Legal Protection for the women with breast cancer.
Not Available
- Administrative procedures related to the above-mentioned points (1,2,3)
Not Available

- Bargaining
Not Available
- Case Law
Not Available
- National Best Practices (overview)
For people with cancer:
In France, the National Cancer Institute plays an active role (https://www.e-
cancer.fr/).
Key Partners:
- The Ministry of Science and Technology (Ministère de la recherche) -
http://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/
- The Ministry of Health (Ministère de la santé) - http://www.sante-jeunesse-
sports.gouv.fr/
- The National League Against Cancer (Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer) -
http://www.ligue-cancer.asso.fr/
- The Association for Cancer Research (Association pour la Recherche sur le
Cancer - ARC) - http://www.arc.asso.fr/
- The National Sickness Insurance Fund (Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Maladie des
Travailleurs Salariés - CNAMTS) - http://www.ameli.fr/
- The National Social Insurance Mutual Benefit Fund (Caisse centrale de la
Mutualité Sociale Agricole - MSA) - http://www.msa.fr/
- The National Institute for Medical Research (Institut National de la Santé et de la
Recherche Médicale - INSERM) - http://www.inserm.fr/fr/
- The National Institute for Scientific Research (Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique - CNRS) - http://www.cnrs.fr/

- The Private Hospitals Association (Fédération de l'Hospitalisation Privée - FHP)
-
http://www.fhp.fr/
- The Association of French Hospitals (Fédération Hospitalière de France - FHF)
–
http://www.fhf.fr/
- The Association of Private Hospitals and Assistance (Fédération des
Etablissements Hospitaliers et d'Assistance Privés - FEHAP) –
http://www.fehap.fr/
- The National Federation of French Cancer Centers (Fédération Nationale des
Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer - FNCLCC) - http://www.fnclcc.fr/
For women with breast cancer:
EUROPADONNA France is conducting a wide-ranging awareness-raising
campaign, planning social events (such as marathons, that are very popular in
France), and publishing many articles on the newspaper and brochures, then
distributed through doctor’s surgeries. In addition, many specialists, such as
gynecologists, including some who are retired, that have a leading position in the
organization, are collaborating with the National Cancer Institute (see above)
www.europadonna.fr
Further Information
The National Cancer Institute (Institut National du Cancer - INCa)
52, avenue André Morizet
92513 Boulogne Billancourt Cedex
Tél. : [phone]
Télécopie : 33 (0)1 41 10 50 20
The National League Against Cancer (Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer)
14 rue Corvisart
75013 Paris
France
Tél.: [phone]
Fax : [phone]

The Association for Cancer Research (Association pour la Recherche sur le
Cancer – ARC)
9, rue Guy Môquet
94800 Villejuif - France
Tel : [phone]
Fax : [phone]
e-mail address: [email protected]sso.fr
The National Federation of French Cancer Centers
FNCLCC 101 rue de Tolbiac 75654 Paris Cedex 13 FRANCE
---------------------
Fédération des Stomisés de France
www.fsf.asso.fr
Société Française de Sénologie et de Pathologie Mammaire
www.senologie.com
Institut de Veille Sanitaire
www.invs.sante.fr
Regards sur la maladie cancéreuse: Festival de films organisé par l’UICC
www.reellives.org
Association Eve (for the implementation of cervical cancer screening in Alsace)
www.eve.asso.fr
Statistics:
Analysis of the processed 2006 Eurostat data. Mortality for cancer (standardized data considering
1.000.000 cases)
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Francia
%
Variation
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
1841
1832
1810
1768
1761