An important topic for yacht crew, social security laws have featured greatly in yachting news in 2017, owing to the implementation of a new decree early in the year.

As the leading yacht crew recruitment agency, YPI CREW follows the topic with great interest and endeavours to provide yacht crew advice to those who are interested. Here, we outline the basic facts that pertain to the laws as they stand; read on to find out more about this complex issue.

In recent months, there has been a great deal of ambiguity surrounding the French Social Security Decree of March 9th, which affects yacht crew who are based in France. Some sources have erroneously claimed that the law has been overturned since its implementation earlier in 2017. It should be noted, however, that the decree is still in full force and its legal impact will still apply to those working on yachts in France. Moreover, to complicate matters further still, it was announced on 12th September 2017 that private vessels will also be included in the interpretation of the decree, as well as commercial yachts.

Fiona Maureso, the President of MYBA, recently commented on the confusion (the full version of the statement can be read on the website of OnboardOnline):

"You may have seen or heard the recent news that the French social security Decree of 9 March 2017 has been suspended or frozen. It is true that, following a meeting which took place last week, representatives of the industry have been told by the French government that the Decree will be modified to allow French resident seafarers to choose between affiliation with ENIM or another social security scheme (either a private scheme or the Caisse des Français de l'Etranger, which carries no employer contributions). "

Since the new decree was issued, many associations, legal parties, and organisations have pushed for the reversal of the decree. However, no further changes will be brought into effect until the start of 2018 at the earliest, following a vote prior to the year's end. In the meantime, the government still has to honour its obligations to provide social protection for yacht crew.

For more information on the topic, or to find out information about other crew-related topics, contact YPI CREW.