France to Shorten Sick Pay Period for Long Illnesses
Listen to the story
Big changes are coming for sick workers in France.
From 15 October 2026, long sick leave will get less money.
The government will pay sick people for less time.
This is a new rule about sick pay.
Sick pay is money you get when you cannot work.
Before, people got money for a longer time.
Now, the time will be shorter.
This is part of the France budget for 2027.
A budget is a plan for money.
The government also wants to change other payments.
These are payments for people who lose their jobs.
People with high pay may get less money when their job ends.
This is called a severance payment.
A severance payment is money given when a job stops.
The government wants to save money with these changes.
Many workers are watching these new rules closely.
Vocabulary15 words
- budget
- a plan for how to spend money
- severance payment
- money given to a worker when their job ends
- sick leave
- time off work because you are ill
- indemnisation
- money paid to help someone
- government
- the group that runs a country
- salary
- money a worker gets for their job
- reduce
- to make smaller
- rule
- something you must follow
- contract
- a paper that says work rules
- worker
- a person who has a job
- pay
- money for work
- change
- to make different
- plan
- an idea for the future
- money
- what people use to buy things
- illness
- being sick
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Quiz
Answer key
1. 15 October 2026 2. Workers will get paid for less time 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Big changes are coming for _____ workers in France.
From 15 October 2026, long sick leave will get less _____.
The government will pay sick people for less _____.
This is a new _____ about sick pay.
Before, people got money for a _____ time.
This is part of the France _____ for 2027.
These are payments for people who lose their _____.
People with high pay may get less money when their job _____.
This is called a severance _____.
The government wants to save _____ with these changes.
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