Ill-ordered charity. “Do not submit, always act”, such is the motto of the movement founded in 1949 by Abbé Pierre and which the companions of the Emmaus communities of Saint-André and Wambrechies, in the North, now intend to follow to the letter. Supported by the CGT, these undocumented workers started a strike to denounce a form of modern slavery of which they are victims within a structure supposed to restore hope and dignity to the weakest. Their demands are so legitimate that a criminal investigation and an external audit have been launched, accompanied by a “withdrawal” of the head of the community of Saint-André.
To cut short any malicious comments, yes, some of the Emmaus companions are illegal immigrants, and no, it is not illegal to welcome them and make them work within the communities. Finally, not illegal as long as it remains within the framework of article L265-1 of the Code of social action and families which regulates the status of people welcomed in OACAS (Community reception organizations and social activities) . And as Emmaüs France points out to 20 minutes, this is the case for “virtually all the Emmaus communities”. Only five in France are not, including that of Saint-André as we have seen by consulting the decree of February 27, 2020 approving community reception organizations and solidarity activities.
The promise of a residence permit that they will never have
Consequently, this poses several problems for the companions working within the Halte Saint-Jean, the name of the Emmaüs community of Saint-André. The first, and most important, is that they cannot claim a temporary residence permit after having justified three years of presence within an OACAS approved community as provided for in the law known as “immigration asylum” of September 10, 2018. The companions of Saint-André, some of whom have been present in the community for several years, are thus demanding pay slips proving that they are actually declared to Urssaf in order to obtain, “like the management [leur] promised, [leur] regularization”. They will not have them, since only “OACAS-approved communities contribute to Urssaf on the basis of 40% of the Smic”, explains to 20 minutes Emmaus France. And no Urssaf contribution, no “rights arising from the general social protection scheme”. This is another of their demands.
After visiting the fellow strikers, the LFI deputy from the North, David Guiraud, was moved by their situation. “I listened, horrified, to the story of the abused undocumented migrants. Forty hours a week for 150 euros a month is not voluntary work: it is exploitation. Abbé Pierre would have been sad to discover these mistreatments,” he said. said on Twitter. “Racist remarks”, “humiliating attitudes”, “intimidation”, “threats” or even the non-respect of privacy in housing… Here, among other things, is what the companions of Saint-André want to see stop.
Alerted, Emmaus France sent a delegation to the site “to discuss with its leaders but also with the people received”. A visit, the conclusions of which were not revealed to us, but which nevertheless prompted the Board of Directors of Emmaus France to launch an external audit and to “immediately put the person in charge [de la Halte Saint-Jean] back”.
At the same time, “the situation of the Halte Saint-Jean is the subject of a preliminary investigation”, we learned from Emmaüs France, confirming information from our colleagues by Street Press. The counts retained are, among others, “concealed work” and “trafficking in human beings”.