Dear Colleagues,
The date of 11 May, announced by the government as the start of the end of confinement, is approaching. We all know that there are still many unknowns about transport, the opening of schools and, more generally, the resumption of economic activity. Nonetheless, we must prepare ourselves to gradually return to normal life, even if teleworking, at least on a part-time basis, will remain the norm for several more weeks.
As I wrote to you last week, the resumption of face-to-face working will be organised with the health of our staff as the top priority.
The regional delegates and heads of entities (institutes, directorates, delegations, services, units, etc.) are working hard to put in place plans for the resumption of face-to-face activities. I would like to thank them once again. On most sites, this work is carried out in close collaboration with our academic partners, with whom we share responsibility for our joint units. It is up to each host to decide on the terms and conditions for opening its premises, and on the conditions of access and use. Without concealing our responsibilities as employers, we have agreed that, as a general rule, the host will be responsible for the health and safety of all the staff it hosts, regardless of their employer. We will, of course, show solidarity among ourselves if the situation so requires.
At the CNRS, we house more than 20,000 people. We are preparing our premises to be able to welcome them in the best possible conditions, in particular by providing everyone with surgical masks and putting in place systems to ensure that barrier procedures are respected.
You can obtain further information on these various points, as well as much other information on how to get out of confinement, via the frequently asked questions on the CNRS intranet. It is updated almost daily by the national crisis unit, which has been playing an absolutely essential role behind the scenes since 3 March.
I would like to stress that, at least until 2 June and pending further instructions from the government, teleworking must continue to be favoured wherever possible. We will be very attentive to the legitimate expectations of staff who have been on ASA since the start of the lockdown. We will do our utmost to ensure that those who wish to work part-time or staggered hours can do so. This gradual return to face-to-face work concerns all the staff involved, whatever their legal status (permanent staff, contract staff, doctoral students, trainees, etc.). Priority will be given to the following scientific activities:
- experimental (subject to the necessary checks to ensure they are running smoothly)
- important for the progress of a doctoral thesis
- linked to significant contractual resources, or which use expensive consumables that will soon be out of date.
For administrative activities, priority is given to those requiring access to IT or technological applications or resources that cannot be accessed remotely, or access to non-dematerialised files or supporting documents, or interaction with users or service providers that cannot be carried out remotely. The same applies to logistics or project management activities that require work to be carried out on equipment or buildings or the monitoring of service providers.
I would like to end this message by thanking the social partners for the quality of the regular discussions we have with them, both at senior management level and in the Regional Delegations. Each in our own role, and without any confusion of genres, we are committed to ensuring that our establishment functions and shines as well as possible, with a shared concern for the working conditions and health of all our staff.
Together, and with the power of the collective that is our strength, we are going to ensure that this crisis is successfully resolved. We have all been hoping for a return to normal. This gradual return is becoming clearer, so let's rejoice by continuing to exercise caution and patience, but by being determined to make the most of it.
Kind regards.
Antoine Petit,
Chairman and CEO of CNRS