THE SCEREN-[CNDP-CRDP]
AND UNIVERSITÉ SORBONNE NOUVELLE-PARIS 3
PRESENT
A FILM FROM THE PUBLIC EDUCATION FILM LIBRARY,
DISTRIBUTOR OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS IN SCHOOLS,
KINDERGARTEN TO UNIVERSITY, 1920-1996.
LES PRODUCTIONS CINÉMATOGRAPHIQUES
INTER-CONTINENTALES PRESENTS
SOCIAL SECURITY
A FILM MADE FOR THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL EDUCATION
BY THE NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY FUND
CAST
NARRATED BY YVES FURET
EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT HENRI NOZET
CINEMATOGRAPHER GEORGES LECLERC
CAMERAMAN DIDIER TAROT
EDITED BY HÉLÈNE BASTE
PRODUCTION MANAGER FRANÇOISE AUGUSTIN
DIRECTED BY BERNARD BACHELART
When you stroll through our small town in the morning,
it looks as if everyone is leading a peaceful life.
Children play on their way to school.
Adults are at work.
And although it is hard,
it is often quite rewarding.
And yet,
it gives only a partial image of life in this small town.
Some people can't work anymore.
Old-age prevents them from doing paid work.
Others stopped working after an accident.
Sickness affects even those upon whom
life should be smiling.
- Does this hurt? - No.
- And here? - No.
- Here? - Ouch.
Is it serious, doctor?
Not at all. An appendicitis.
We'll have him brought to the hospital.
Complications in children can occur rapidly.
We wouldn't want that.
The surgeon will decide when to perform the operation.
How's your son, Langlois?
He had surgery this morning. I hope it went well.
Appendicitis is no big deal nowadays.
You worry just the same.
Social Security will reimburse your hospital and surgery expenses.
It's still an operation, even for a kid.
Well, wait and see.
Indeed, in 1945,
Social Security was founded.
Thanks to a unique system, it protects all employees
and their families.
And now, Mrs Langlois can go to a counter
to get reimbursed
for expenses related to her son's illness.
Let's look at the origin of this entitlement
to Social Security benefits.
To do so, let's go back a few years,
at the exact moment when Mr Langlois
was hired in a machine shop.
Now you can go meet the shop's foreman.
But first, I need to fill in an employment certificate
to register you with Social Security.
- Name? - Langlois, Miss.
- First name? - Marcel.
- Date of birth? - July 16th, 1920.
- Birth place? - Saint Clair, Seine et Oise.
- Current address? - Grande rue cendreuse.
This application
was sent by Mr Langlois's employer
to the Primary Social Security Fund of his département.
They opened a file for the employee,
after checking
that he wasn't already registered.
Then they prepared a registration card in his name.
The card is, essentially,
the insurance contract taken out by the employee
against risks covered by Social Security,
a contract meaning you have both rights and duties.
What's wrong with you, Langlois?
It's that total : 38, 579. The boss said I'd earn much more.
You forget your Social Security contribution.
The deduction, look here, on your pay slip.
Oh, right. I didn't dare ask the boss, you know?
Yes, Mr Langlois.
To be insured against the effects of disease,
you need to pay
a premium of 6 % of your monthly pay check.
All employees pay it but they aren't the only ones.
Employers pay a premium too,
equal to 10 % of your wages.
Each month, they send both the contributions
to the Primary Social Security Fund.
The Fund's accounting department checks all contributions carefully.
Each month, in this département,
two hundred million francs are received,
corresponding to the premiums
of 80,000 employees and their employers.
The sums paid in solidarity by the workers
will be used to help them,
should one of their family members fall ill.
Gentlemen, before we end this meeting,
do you have anything to add?
Management of premiums paid to the Primary Fund
is supervised by the elected members of a board,
three quarters of which are employee representatives,
and one quarter, employer representatives.
After her son's recovery,
Mrs Langlois can submit her file to the Primary Fund agent.
- I'd like to submit a file. - I need your registration card.
- My husband's? - Yes.
And the prescription stamped by the chemist.
Here you are.
- Did the child go to a private clinic? - To the hospital.
Drawing from employee and employer contributions,
all the expenses will be paid to her,
as for appendicitis, 100 % of the costs are reimbursed.
Here's your number. You will be called shortly.
Thank you.
No. 452.
I need to see ID, please.
Here you are.
Sign here, please.
1, 441.
Good morning!
So, how is your son?
It's over. He's back in school.
- We worried a lot, you know. - But he's well again now.
Imagine, I haven't seen my Gisèle in 3 months.
You've had good news though?
She writes often. Here's her latest letter.
With a picture of the place.
Dear Mum,
It's still very sunny.
Now, I can take nice walks in the big park around the house.
The doctor says I look well, and I have a good appetite.
I always take a long nap after lunch.
After snack time,
I learn to knit with Lucie.
Could you send me blue yarn and no.11 needles?
I'm writing on the terrace, among the flowers.
Love to you, Dad, Pierrot and Jacqueline.
Your loving daughter, Gisèle.
Looks as if she's happy.
It must cost a lot.
Accommodation is paid by Social Security.
Otherwise, I couldn't have afforded it.
Same for her clothes. The Primary Fund takes care of it.
You don't say. I'm so happy for you.
- What can I get you? - A tin of spinach.
Half a pound of butter
and a ripe Camembert.
Here comes René.
Some people are lucky.
Look at them. They're never ill.
Never ill, of course.
But providing for a large family
can be challenging at times.
In such cases, families are protected too.
This is the role of the Family Allowance Fund.
The day after he was hired, Mr Neulas went to the Fund's office.
From November...
- You got benefits from another Fund? - Yes.
Any children?
- 4. - OK.
You need to fill in this family benefit application form.
Then, the headmaster of your children's school
needs to sign this.
Your boss needs to fill in this work attendance certificate.
And I need a certificate of termination of payment
from your former Fund.
That's it. Do this as soon as possible.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
These payments are made
from a collective fund contributed to by employers.
Each employer pays monthly dues to this fund
equal to over 16 % of its employees' gross wages.
The total of these amounts is close to that of the Primary Fund.
They too are managed
by a board where both employers and employees are represented.
Each month, the Family Allowance Fund
prepares a money order,
which will raise Mr Neulas' earnings substantially.
Social services of the Family Allowance Fund
have many other ways
of protecting families.
Young city-dwellers can go on holiday, and enjoy fresh air
thanks to this Fund
which organises and runs summer camps.
It manages day care centres,
crèches where little ones are cared for like at home,
thus letting their mothers go to work worry-free.
Why, René, did you forget anything?
Mum says coarse salt, not fine salt.
I'll give you some.
Here you go, son.
Wait a moment.
I owe you 30 francs. There, don't lose them.
Goodbye.
- Goodbye, René. - Goodbye.
Good morning, Mr Mercier.
How's your wife today?
Not so good.
- What can I get you? - A bit of Swiss cheese.
- Half a pint of vinegar. - Half a pint.
- Is that you, Mercier? - Who else could it be?
After the grocer's, I went to the chemist's.
That's 1,500 francs again.
The doctor says I'll be better after that.
I hope so.
- Did you go to Mrs Gaspard's? - No, I couldn't.
What a bother! I...
Come in.
It's the postman.
- Are you bringing good news? - I am.
It's a money order. Your old-age pension.
- You can come more often. - Signature, please.
Mercier, my glasses.
Society needed to guarantee decent old-age to all workers.
Hence the foundation of the Old-Age pension scheme.
We aren't always aware of old people's needs.
Now they can voice them to the agents
of the Regional Old-Age Insurance Fund,
another important component of Social Security at work.
This Fund covers several départements.
Over two million workers are registered.
When he turned 65,
Mr Mercier became eligible for pension benefits.
A special department
calculated the amount he was eligible for.
The Fund manages so many files
that modern electro-accounting machines do the maths.
Mechanically-produced money orders are sent each quarter
to help Mr Mercier cover living costs.
NATIONAL SOLIDARITY FUND
Sick and old people
cannot support themselves.
Alas, they are not the only ones.
Other threats face workers and their families.
Each year, many people cannot work following an accident.
They are entitled to protection too.
I say. How sad is this!
He was sure to win the competition. What a stupid fall!
Look who's talking about falls.
I was just commenting on his bad luck.
- How lucky have you been? - Is that a criticism?
I couldn't know the scaffolding would fall.
The foreman was careless.
He has a 15-day suspension.
And you're off work for 2 months.
What can I say? I fell from 3 m.
Stop wriggling about. It can't be good for your leg.
Stop wriggling about!
Do you think I'm enjoying this?
I didn't say that.
You'd better go.
If Social Security didn't cover professional risks,
how could Mr Saurey provide for his family?
Fortunately, drawing from special employer contributions,
the Primary Fund pays him daily compensation.
equivalent to a significant portion of his wages.
Once again,
Social Security stands in the way of destitution.
Let's sum up how this institution works.
There are 2 units in each département.
The Primary Social Security Fund handles professional,
sickness, maternity and death risks.
The Family Allowance Fund is for families with dependent children.
There are more than 120 Primary Funds all over France.
At the regional level,
the Regional Old-Age Insurance Fund
pays a pension to employees over 65.
The Regional Social Security Fund complements the Primary Funds.
Instead of covering risks related to temporary cessation of work,
it handles the disability risk,
i.e. a permanent or long-term incapacity to work.
If there is a possibility for the invalid or sick to resume work,
everything will be done
to facilitate their rehabilitation.
TB patients treated in this sanatorium
will then go to an aftercare home,
to become reaccustomed to the rhythm of everyday life.
In these workshops run by the Regional Fund,
the disabled will learn a new trade
to fit their current physical abilities.
Regional Funds maintain
an extensive health and social programme.
And so, they organise screening campaigns for diseases
that used to be social scourges.
They publish booklets and organise lectures
to improve hygiene at home.
They promote the concept of safety,
by teaching protection techniques on the workplace,
to decrease the high rate
of work-related injuries.
Over mainland France,
there are 16 Regional Social Security Funds
and 16 Old-Age Funds.
That's 32 Funds working at the regional level.
Finally, at national level,
a National Social Security Fund
distributes Social Security resources among the diverse risks.
Illness,
work-related injuries,
old-age.
In particular,
it allocates funding to Regional Old-Age Funds.
It manages health and social funds,
thus complementing Regional Funds' work.
This extends to the prevention of workplace accidents
and work-related illnesses.
Social Security plays such a role in our country's life
that it must be monitored by the State.
The Ministry of Labour, via its Department for Social Security,
oversees it.
They prepare regulations
and supervise management units.
Thanks to this organisation,
over 26 million people,
or over 60 % of our population, comprising employees and their families,
are protected against the hard knocks of tomorrow.
Add all old-people to this count.
Employed or not,
they benefit from the old-age insurance regime,
or from non-contributive allowances.
And so, our small town,
despite its inhabitants' daily struggles,
can sleep truly peacefully.
A rational and humane organisation is looking after them.
Social Security protects them daily,
while securing a better future for them.
THE END
Subtitles: Élisabeth Fuchs & Julie Manuel