Aides to deputies in the French National Assembly, private sector employees, face instant unemployment in case of dissolution. Many are preparing to soften the blow compared to June 2024, as a study reveals worsening mental health. This political instability impacts these discreet yet essential figures in democratic life.
Parliamentary collaborators, often dubbed the "little hands" of deputies, are private sector employees whose futures hinge directly on a decision by the President of the Republic. Discreet and unknown to the wider public, they are indispensable to the National Assembly's operations. In the event of dissolution, their contracts tied to their parliamentary bosses can end overnight, amounting to an express layoff plan for nearly 2,000 people, quietly overlooked.
Since the fall of François Bayrou's government in September and the twists involving Sébastien Lecornu's, the threat of job loss looms once more for these "collabs," one year after the stark episode of June 2024. "Parliamentary staff are today suffering the consequences of political instability even as they contribute to the smooth functioning of democratic life," worries Manon Amirshahi, general secretary of the CGT for Parliamentary Collaborators, who works for deputy Sophie Taillé-Polian (Génération.s) from Val-de-Marne.
An exclusive study reviewed by Le Monde highlights a deterioration in these professionals' mental health. Many are now preparing to better weather a potential shock, drawing lessons from past experiences.